The Neutron-Vortex Rules for a Successful and Healthy Relationship
by DistrictThirteenTribute
Summary: In the sequel to "The Neutron-Vortex Rules for a Mutually Beneficial Friendship", Jimmy and Cindy have finally established a romantic relationship. But with their entire post-high school lives ahead of them, exactly how easy will paradise be for the happy couple? Made possible by all your incredible love and support. You know why it's rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome! Or in some, likely most, cases, welcome back! I am SO excited to share the sequel for "The Neutron-Vortex Rules for a Mutually Beneficial Friendship". I suppose you don't HAVE to read the first story if you've never heard of that title, but there will likely be allusions to it and I'm sure you don't want to feel left out. So to be safe, I suggest giving it a read. I hear it's lots of fun.**

 **To avoid confusion, I'll let you know that this starts off and takes place approximately two weeks after the end of the previous story, so a little time jump occurs. Won't give any more details away so it looks like you'll just have to read the story to find out more.**

 **Jimmy's POV**

Everything has to be perfect for tonight.

I've never really been one to say or think that, but considering who this is going to be for and the occasion, I want it to be just right.

Today is Cindy and mine's one month anniversary, or I suppose, to be technical, it's tonight.

It seems as unreal to me as it does to the next guy but it's true: Cindy and I have been together for a month and it's made up of the best thirty-one days of my life.

The night we got together is unforgettable so I knew there would be no way that this was going to be a regular old, passive day. Cindy, of course, probably thinks I forgot about it. Although really, there's a higher chance that she herself forgot.

As much as I knew this had to be both observed and celebrated, I wasn't really sure what we could do. She's never been one to take surprises lightly and with how long I've known her, you'd think me planning something wouldn't be so difficult. Granted, prior to us becoming a couple, we weren't overly concerned about spending our time together by talking more in depthly about our interests. So aside from the obvious things that pretty much everyone that's gone to school with her would know, there isn't really much I know.

Except for one prominent factor.

I suppose it's kind of inevitable considering where we live and all but discovering Cindy's love for Mexican food, buffalo chicken tacos in particular, was truly surprising.

With that in mind it wasn't overly difficult to figure out what I wanted to do.

Her restaurant of choice which sells this delicacy is about three hours away and due to its proximity, I'm not entirely sure how she went about going enough times to establish it as her favorite. So instead of making the long drive out there I figured the next best alternative would be to recreate the meal.

I've never been much of a whiz in the kitchen but I'm willing to try for Cindy.

Besides, how hard could it possibly be?

In a way, this is sort of fitting. Cindy and I having dinner alone is something that hasn't been done before. So by doing this it would technically be our first date since, in getting to the place we're currently in, we skipped that step entirely.

I told Cindy to come on over at six this evening without really giving her much of a motive. I didn't even wish her a happy first month while I was on the phone with her. As far as she knows, this may just be one of our casual hang outs.

However, the environment in my house was anything but.

My parents did me the huge favor of going out to dinner tonight, leaving the house all to ourselves in the process. But this came after they helped me tidy up the place and do any part of the cooking that would have resulted in the house burning down had I done it. All of that was obviously extremely helpful. So much so that once they left, all I had to do was make myself presentable.

I wouldn't say I was cutting it close if it weren't for the fact that my doorbell rang at exactly six PM, signaling Cindy's ever so prompt arrival.

Even if she wasn't aware of what a special night this was, I still felt it was appropriate to dress up. If anything, the light blue dress shirt I had on would give her some clue that something was going on.

"Hey." I said coolly as I opened the door for her, completely hiding the rose in my hand from her sight.

"You're awfully dressed up." She replied in greeting. She was, as she usually always is, wearing a dress. Nothing too fancy and definitely something that I can recall her wearing -and not wearing- in the past.

Instead of answering verbally, I smiled and held the door open wider for her. From my front door, it was a direct sight to my dining room where Goddard had just lit up candles on either end of the table. As soon as she walked in, it would be nearly impossible for her not to see it.

I knew that she had when she suddenly stopped walking.

Closing the door behind her, I smiled to myself.

"Happy one month." I spoke before kissing her on the cheek and handing her the rose.

With a growing smile, she took the flower and turned to face me.

"That is tonight, isn't it?" Chuckling because I was right about her forgetting, I took her hand and guided her to the dining room.

Our meal was protected by mesh covers and I knew she would be able to see it before I made the big reveal. Despite that, I still did it quite dramatically.

"Jimmy...," she spoke after she got a good look at them. "You did not have to go all the way over there. It's too much-."

"I didn't go anywhere. They're homemade."

"No, they aren't." She said incredulously after a pause.

"Well, not by me. My parents helped but yeah. I know how much you like them so I thought it would be a nice gestu- oh!"

I was cut off by her kissing me and I knew then that she loved it.

"This is great." She whispered once she pulled away. "I love it and I love you." She spoke with one of her wider smiles. "Just please tell me you marinated the chicken in the barbeque sauce and didn't just spread it on after you cooked it."

"Why, of course."

With a little jump, she walked over to one end of the table where there was a plate set and sat down excitedly.

"So where did the idea to do this come from?" she asked as I put down two tacos to start her off with in front of her.

"Well, I know it's your favorite food. But in general I realized that us having dinner together is really overdue. It's about time we did it too seeing as we're a couple but we've never actually officially gone on a date."

"We did seem to skip that part. And instead just jump to some others." Cindy replied in agreement. "I love this though. It's...incredibly thoughtful. Thank you."

* * *

 **Cindy's POV**

You'd think I hadn't eaten all day with the amount of tacos I just consumed. But they really were _that_ good.

And I do have to admit: Neutron sure knows how to impress a girl, especially on a first date.

I should have known something was going on when I saw him standing in his threshold in a dress shirt and black slacks. No way would he have looked like that if we really were just "hanging out" as he put it over the phone. Even though it didn't take me very long to find out, a part of me twinged in discomfort.

While it didn't seem to matter at all to him, there was something about tonight that I couldn't forget about. Essentially, it's the reason for this happening in the first place.

I had forgotten that tonight marked our first month of being a couple.

Obviously, it's not that I don't care. It just wasn't really a date that I thought he would want observed. Most guys don't even pay attention to things like that. Although I really should have known better with Jimmy.

I don't even suppose that it's that I forgot. More that I didn't really notice. Impossible not to though since it's been exactly a month since prom, pretty much the day everything changed in Jimmy and mine's relationship.

But besides spending nearly every day with him, I've had a lot on my mind too.

I've finally finished handling everything I need to do before moving into Columbia at the end of the summer and set up a 4-year plan that pretty much guarantees I will not lose my scholarship. It's been a few hectic but crucial days for me. I also can't deny that worrying about my own academic future is helping to take my mind off the fact that Jimmy will be leaving for his sooner than I will.

In all, it's been a busy couple of weeks. Or at least enough to distract myself from the small but significant milestone I've made with my boyfriend.

As horrible as I'm feeling about it, and I'm sure he's not feeling all that happy either, I swear to make it up to him.

"That was incredible. Best ones I've ever tasted." I spoke once I swallowed the last bit.

"You're just saying that because you feel bad that you forgot about today." I knew he was kidding, but if it really didn't bother him, he wouldn't have mentioned it at all.

"I'm not. Really." There was a change in my tone. "And I'm sorry for forgetting. I've had a lot on my mind, but I really didn't think it mattered that much to you."

"Well, you matter the world to me so..."

 _Ugh, why did he have to say that?_

"We're not going to fight about this, are we?" I knew it was better to say that and clear any potential discomfort than to have it hover over us.

"No, of course not. Wouldn't want our first date to end in our first fight, would we?" He replied.

He was right about that as well.

Had we let that go on, this would have become our first official boyfriend/girlfriend fight, not at all including our little teases to one another. Considering our past, it's almost a surprise that it hasn't occurred yet. But I'm sure we're both hoping to avoid it for as long as possible.

"That's right." I smiled as I got up out of my chair and walked over to where he was sitting across from me. As I sat on his lap and placed my arms around his neck, I gazed at him. "Have I told you today how much I love you?"

"Couple times, I think." Barely letting him finish, I pressed my lips against his. It only took a few short seconds until we were lost in each other. Just as we were running out of breath, he moved his lips to my neck and nibbled on a spot he discovered early on in our relationship, not referring to the one that started a month ago. We were both reminded of how much I enjoyed that spot in particular when I shakely let out a breath.

"Do you want to?" He spoke so softly into my ear but I knew exactly what he meant. Pulling away and our remembering our current and partially pretend situation, I spoke.

"On the first date? What kind of girl do you think I am Mr. Neutron?" Playing along as well, he playfully rolled his eyes as he smiled. "Not tonight." I said honestly. "Plus, we had all those tacos-."

" _You_ had all those tacos." He clarified.

"Yes, okay." I answered back as we both laughed. "Let's just take it easy tonight?"

"Of course. Anything you want." By looking directly at him, I hope it made him realize that any and everything I wanted was right in front of me.

 ***sighs* These two.**

 **So now that I have your attention (hopefully), I want to explain how the sequel is going to work.**

 **While the first story was very much a linear, continuous story, this one will be a little different. While I plan to keep it as properly sequential as I can, this one just won't seem as flowy the first one. The best way to think about it would be consider the first story as a movie and this as collection of episodes from the TV show adaptation that have an ongoing pace to them. In other words, the way this fandom turned out.**

 **Of course, if one chapter seems to start a story arc, I'll go with that and there may be times where a chapter will have two parts. It may seem a little confusing still but I'm hoping it will make more sense to why it's like this when Jimmy and Cindy go off to college (which yes, we will explore).**

 **Oh but don't think this means you'll be getting an update every week like you would on TV. Nice try.**

 **Thank you for reading and please review if you can!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I know it's been a while but I am amazed at how much positive attention this has gotten so thank you all so much! I've seen some familiar names but I think I've picked up a few new people as well so that's great to see too. I forgot to mention this last time but if you don't know, I have a Twitter set up for my fanfiction account which you can totally follow me on: D13Tribute (it is set to private but if you seem like a legitimate user, I'll accept it AND follow back)**

 **A heads up that this takes place three weeks after the first chapter. Thanks in advance for reading and enjoy!**

 **Jimmy's POV**

"Are you sure we don't need to bring our passports Jimmy? I wouldn't want to get into some big international scandal while we're down there."

"Don't worry about that babe. If anything happens, you know Sheen can just come to the rescue!" Sheen replied to his girlfriend's question in the third person.

"Actually," I spoke, "to be safe, maybe you should bring them. Just in case." After exchanging a knowing look with her and Cindy, I continued packing my own luggage.

Given how last minute this trip was, I really hope I was remembering to bring all my necessary materials. This mini-vacation was both wanted by all its participants and, considering how much time we had left all together, definitely needed.

Last week, Carl left for the start of his incredible adventure of a gap year. While we did make the most of the time we had with him, we all thought it would be nice to do something before Sheen and I have to leave as well. So wanting a little more spontaneity, we, Sheen, Libby, Cindy, and I, decided on a short trip to Mexico.

Seeing as I've gone to distant planets without any sort of authority interference, I figured taking the hovercar over to Cancun shouldn't be a problem. Of course, we'll need to prepare ourselves should anything come up. So I think we'll save Sheen getting us out of any issues for plan B.

We're all down in the lab, trying to make our luggage as minimal as possible given the close quarters of the hovercar. Goddard's even going to be sitting this one out which is somewhat convenient since he'll be able to be a watchdog of sorts while we're away.

It'll take a few hours to get there which would have been excruciating had I never revamped the hovercar. It's undergone a big change from when I was a kid. Along with a larger motor, more extensive control panel, and collapsible roof, it's designed to be a safe and enjoyable ride for the passengers, which given how long of a trip this will be, is a huge relief.

We had agreed that we should get there while the sun is still out so we can settle in and enjoy what the town has to offer as opposed to just knocking out as soon as we get to our hotel no matter how enticing that may seem.

While it was logical to just share a room, we decided to splurge so that each couple got their own. Also, in terms of privacy, it just made more sense.

Thankfully, it didn't take very long until we were loading up the hovercar to go. I was glad Cindy managed to bring her belongings down to an overstuffed backpack and her purse. Libby on the other hand, had a much more difficult time as she wanted to ensure she had "everything she could possibly need" as per Sheen.

After what seems like the entirety of our vacation time, we were ready to head out. We were lucky to be able to occupy ourselves easily enough for the hours long trip. Knowing it would likely be our last one for a long time probably had something to do with it.

Once we landed and relished in our ability to be able to stretch our legs, we found our hotel without any difficulty and were checked in just as swiftly. Before we arrived, we all agreed to hit the beach as soon as possible. With Cindy and I in one room and Sheen and Libby in the other, I just hoped we would actually be able to follow through.

"I'm excited for this." Cindy spoke, looking up at the ceiling as she lay over the covers of our freshly made hotel bed.

"Yeah?" I asked as I laid next to her.

"Yeah. I don't want to say that it's our first vacation since it kind of isn't. But it's nice to be able to do this one last time before we all go our separate ways and such. I think we really need it."

"I agree." I spoke.

"And you know," she continued, "It is _our_ first vacation as a couple." She faced me.

"Oh believe me, there's no way I wouldn't have noticed that."

She smiled widely and shifted her body so that her chin was resting on my chest. "I cannot _wait_ to get my hands on you later." Cindy whispered even though we were the only people in the room.

I raised an eyebrow.

"What's stopping you now?"

"Knowing that if I start, we won't be able to stop and we'll leave our best friends out there thinking we're a couple of sex fiends." We both laughed at that probably because of how accurate a thought that was.

Despite that I didn't want her to, she got up and walked over to open up her backpack.

"I'm going to take a quick shower and change. Shouldn't take long." She explained as she walked to the bathroom carrying some clothes in her hands.

"Okay."

Taking advantage of that time, I used it to change into a swimsuit too.

* * *

About a half hour later, the four of us met outside our neighboring rooms and rode the elevator down. One of the luxuries of this hotel was its accessibility to city nightlife and proximity to the beach so it didn't take very many steps to be able to reach the sandy earth.

Besides a towel for each of us, the girls brought a small purse for their belongings. We set our things down at a designated spot and Libby and Cindy all but ran to the water. Even with all the people here, they, Cindy in her blue cover-up and Libby in her black with gold trimmed bikini top and denim shorts, wouldn't be hard to find.

It didn't take very long for them to come back, remembering they needed to apply sunscreen. Cindy did her legs on her own. It wasn't until she removed her cover-up to get to the rest of her body that the problem arose. Underneath the floaty, innocent piece of clothing lay something that was the entire opposite.

Straps- as that's really the most accurate word- of red cloth ran across Cindy's body, barely covering up her most private parts. Tight knots secured them together and in place, in turn preventing her from fully exposing herself to our fellow beach-goers. Her body was showing an amount of skin that I was not comfortable with and it left me unsure about what to say or think.

"Hey, you okay?"

She must have noticed that I hadn't went about applying sunscreen to her back as I said I would. I knew that whatever I said would get a reaction out of her and not necessarily a good one. It's not like you can really blame me though. She practically wears more in the shower and for God's sake, Sheen and I aren't the only men here.

"Okay. Done." I said loud enough for her to hear once I finished her back.

"Thanks." She leaned in to give me a quick kiss before running off with Libby again.

"Damn, Jimmy-."

"Shut up, Sheen." I stopped him, knowing he was going to make a comment on Cindy's appearance.

It shouldn't have surprised me that any sort of conversation or activity I tried to accomplish with Sheen lasted no longer than a few minutes. As much as I hated myself for it, I kept making sure Cindy was always in my eyeshot. Not necessarily to keep an eye on her, but instead of anyone around her. Being the overprotective and vigilant boyfriend isn't something I'm used to although I knew that inevitably, this being the perfect example, it would have to happen sometime.

Despite that I did notice the occasional glance back and poorly hidden stares, from both men and women alike, nothing really happened until I noticed what looked to be a local male around our age stop and talk to the girls.

Without checking to see if Sheen followed me, I approached the three of them.

"Hey." I spoke as normally as I could despite everything.

"Hey!" Cindy exclaimed as she walked over and took my hand in hers. "This is Ramon." She gestured to him. "He was just telling us about this cool bar down the street."

"That's nice of him. Maybe we'll check it out." Barely even acknowledging the stranger in the group, I turned to Cindy. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Okay." She said nonchalantly. I led us back to where our things were, Sheen no longer there.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked, the anger clear.

"What do you mean?" Like she really had no clue.

I gestured to her body, knowing that would speak volumes.

"Oh well," she started coyly, "I thought you'd like it."

"I do. The problem is so does everyone else."

"What does that matter? It's not like I'll be going home with anyone else at the end of the day."

"You don't think that's a little… much? Or less, in this case?" I ignored what she said.

"I like the way it looks on me." She replied. "And I thought you would too. I can't control what anyone else does." I scoffed and shook my head, not able to say anything else. "I really didn't think you'd get mad." If I'm being honest, I kind of believed that. "I'll wear the other one I bought tomorrow." I nodded gently but it didn't seem to appease her. "But I'll tell you what." She spoke as she leaned in to me. "If you can put up with me wearing this the rest of the day, tonight, I'll let you take it off."

As she pulled away, there was no way I could hide my grin from her.

"Thought so." I could have sworn I heard her mutter under her breath.

I knew then, although I should have known it all along, that it was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Yeah, if we have some time, we should definitely do that."

We were all sitting around a dinner table at our restaurant of choice that night trying to form a plan for what to do tomorrow. It seemed to be a unanimous decision that we would all go parasailing. After indulging in some of the greatest barbeque we've ever had (Cindy a fan in particular), we lounged around with a few drinks, which we were all content to remember that, here, we are of legal age to be consuming.

After the event that was going to the beach, Cindy, as promised, remained in her bikini under her cover-up and I knew that she was holding on to her word about me taking it off later tonight. Having not said another word, or even given a cautious look in her direction, I knew we were good to go.

It was especially confirmed when Cindy stood and stumbled over to where I sat beside her and asked, not very subtly, if I was ready to go back upstairs.

There were too many glasses scattered around the table so I'm not entirely sure if Cindy had just finished her second or third glass of Long Island Iced Tea.

"You okay girl?" The always helpful and much more alcohol tolerant Libby asked.

"Of course." She replied, her voice not sounding as clear as it would normally be.

"I think I'm just going to get her upstairs now." It wasn't until I stood up that I realized how buzzed I was myself given only the three beers and various vodka shots.

"Alright, just be careful." Sheen spoke this time. "We don't want a repeat of what happened last time you two were like this." At that, both him and Libby laughed and I knew they were speaking about the night everything changed for Cindy and I while at a party of a former classmate.

Cindy and I both chose to ignore them as we made our way, hand-in-hand, through the hotel and up the elevator. I'm thankful for the other guests that were on it. Who knows what Cindy and I could have done had we been alone in there?

By the time we got to our floor however, we were the only two passengers. We drunkenly staggered to our room, stealing a few kisses along the way. The light "beep" produced by our door opening seemed like a godsend.

Immediately after the door closed behind us, it was impossible to separate. The only sound in the room was that of our heavy breath as we made our way to bed.

"Uh, God." Cindy let out as I was kissing her neck after slipping out of her cover-up. Even though we hastily undressed each other, I still tried to indulge in pulling the strings of her bikini to undo it, seeing as it was what got us into this in the first place.

"You drive me crazy." I mumbled against her skin as the bottom part landed on the floor. "You put me through a lot today, you know that?" Within a few seconds, her top joined the remainder of our clothing.

"Was I a bad girl?" She asked lustfully. "Are you gonna punish me now?"

As if it all connected at that moment, I shook my head at how dumb I'd been for not seeing it sooner.

"Is that what all this was about?" My lips still lingering close to her body. "If you want me to be rough with you Cin, all you have to do is ask." The words slurred together but I knew she understood me based on how one of my hands was now grasped tightly on her wrist.

"But it's more fun this way." She devilishly smiled. "Now I've got you all riled up."

"Mmmm," I groaned and at the same time I turned us around so that she hovered over me with a confused look on her face. "I'm still not convinced though. You want to play rough; you've got to earn it."

"Well," she bit her lip. "If that's what it takes."

* * *

 **Cindy's POV**

Admittedly, all I really wanted to do was get him hot and bothered enough to have his way with me. As much of a wonderful and considerate lover he is, there are times when I want him to do whatever he wants to me. Our history has shown that teasing him, in one way or another, seems to be the best way to get there.

And by the looks of it, mainly due to the way he- and his body- was reacting, it was working.

I wrapped my hand around him, pumping slowly, as my lips and tongue ran along his pelvic bone.

"Fuck." He breathed, knowing he would have to brace himself once my mouth was on him. I soon took him in, causing him to hiss in pleasure.

There's something so empowering about hearing him react like that and a great part of it is knowing that I did it.

Jimmy's the first guy I've tried MANY things with and most of it wasn't as disastrous as I imagined. Once we started getting more intimate, I knew things like this were, on both sides, going to be expected. While I should have been incredibly nervous, the fact that it was Jimmy _and_ that he was just as inexperienced as me was immensely relieving. Naturally, with time and practice, any reservation we each had about our private performances went away.

I sucked until my cheeks hollowed out and then did it again. I knew my hair was tickling his thighs, enhancing the feeling. My tongue drew a wavy line up his shaft and ended with a kiss on the head. I did a similar pattern a couple more times and added my hand.

" _Yes_ , baby..."

I took him as much as I could after that, opening up the back of my throat. In a matter of seconds, he came in my mouth and I swallowed appreciatively.

With a familiar energy rush running all over my body, I looked up at him and licked the corner of my lip.

"Is that all?" he asked as I crawled up to him.

"Is it ever?" I spoke as I swung my leg across his body and sank myself down on him.

Once he was all the way in, I shuddered out a breath, threw my head back, and did not move, frozen by his size. I knew this would work though. He's told me before how much he loves seeing me in this position.

He drew little circles on my thighs with his thumbs, trying to signal me. It motivated me enough to move up and down on him a couple of times. I went at my own pace though, just wanting to feel all of him. I could tell we weren't in agreement when he slipped his fingers between my legs, likely trying to move things along.

"Oh!" I gripped onto his abdomen. "Jimmy..."

"You're killing me, Cindy." He groaned. "You gotta move."

With a nod, I rocked against him and began recreating a pattern we've done many times before. I slid onto him faster and faster and the sounds he was producing kept egging me on.

"Just like that." He said, his voice coarse and with both hands on my hips. Seeing the smug look on his face resulted in me riding him recklessly, each bounce practically in time with my panting.

"Yes… oh, _shiiiit_..."I gasped as I ran my hands through my hair. Nearing the edge, it wasn't going to take much more to send me over. Without really thinking about it, I reached down and ran my fingers along the part where our bodies met.

"Fuck!" He yelled as he came and I followed very shortly after. Completely out of breath and energy, I got off him and laid by his side. "You're incredible." He mumbled almost incoherently.

"As I've been told once or twice." I let out with a growing smile.

"You're not going to pull another stunt like that again right?" He spoke seriously and I knew he meant the whole bikini debacle.

"Given what just happened, would it really be the worst of ideas?" With a chuckle and a smile reminiscent of mine, he leaned in to kiss me.

 **Really quick note here: PLEASE don't make an issue of them going into Mexico with just the hovercar and their passports. I've had this chapter planned for a while and I'm really not trying to start anything by keeping what I've had. They've done things so much more extreme than this.**

 **Thank you guys so much for reading and I really hope you enjoyed it! Drop a review to let me know you think and give me a Twitter follow if you can!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all for the great responses to the last chapter! Timing is a little bit messy here but this takes place no more than a week after the events of the last chapter. To make it a little easier, think that from the last chapter of the first story to this one, it has only been six weeks. However, this one is unfortunately not as happy in tone as what you may be used to reading, but I hope you like it!**

 **Jimmy's POV**

"Cindy." I said it so quietly, I could barely hear myself. I was close enough to her ear, however, that I hoped she did.

When that failed to wake her up, I kissed her cheek softly, thinking that maybe touching her would trigger a response. Despite that not working either, I smiled, deciding to let her sleeping, peaceful self be. There are worse ways to leave her.

Pulling away from her, I hastily put on what remained of my clothes. Given where I was and the time of day, it would be in both of our best interests for me to make an escape as quick as I can.

It wasn't until I was pulling my shirt over my head that she began to stir and mumble.

"No…Don't leave…." What made it clear that she was speaking to me and that it wasn't just random muttering was that she as facing my direction, eyes half open, and her arm was extended, reaching out for my hand.

"I have to go Cin. It's morning." I replied. "If your parents catch me here…." I trailed off, knowing it was explanation enough. "I'm going to see you later."

"I only have hours left with you." She said, now more alert than she was a few seconds ago. "You've been packing incessantly since the second we got back from Mexico. Please," Cindy pleaded, "just a few more minutes."

It was her request, her truthfulness, and a tiny bit of how raspy her voice sounded that lead me to climb in under the covers, behind her.

We were spooning and not saying a single word, but I could still sense the energy she was giving off. I knew there was a very unlikely chance she'll say anything herself.

The day we have both been dreading has arrived and if it was difficult to determine which one of us was more upset about it, her body language gave away the answer.

"I love you so much, you know that." I whispered as I left a kiss on her bare shoulder. "And we are still going to text and call and Skype as often as we can. We just won't physically see each other as we now do."

"Yeah."

That of course, didn't help at all when it came to the question of what exactly she was thinking.

"I've never been able to figure you out Cindy and today's no different. Tell me what's wrong."

She shifted her body so that we now faced each other and it made it a lot clearer to see the imprint of the tear that recently rolled down her cheek.

"I'm not mad because you're going off to school already and leaving me or anything like that. It's just…" She stopped, as if she were thinking of how to formulate her words. I stroked her cheek, both because I thought she needed it and to encourage her to continue. "Do you remember when we first got together and I mentioned that all these years have passed and we've wasted so much time?"

She let the words out shakily and I nodded.

"It really feels like that now." Her eyes welled up. "I mean, we could have been together for _so long._ And maybe this would hurt less if we had but…I…I don't know. I guess I just think that we haven't had enough time to know if we're going to be able to do this. And I'm not saying that we don't love each other enough." She defended as soon as she noticed that I was going to say something. "There's just going to be so many changes and…and I want to know we're going to be able to be stronger than that. If only we'd gotten our heads out of our asses sooner and just gotten together then maybe we'd know for sure. And I realize that this sounds ridiculously clingy and overly sensitive, but I don't care."

As this was the first time she was really opening up to me about this, it took a moment to sink it. Once it did, I spoke.

"I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me, Cindy. I can't promise you everything is going to stay the same, but I swear that I will try my best to stop us from being affected if it does." I knew it would take more than that to appease her, but I had to try. "Maybe our shorter amount of time together is what's giving us motivation to do that. We care and we love. This- we- are still new and we don't want it to fail. So we are not going to let it." A smiled formed on her face at the same time a couple of tears escaped.

"I'm really going to miss you." She spoke.

"Not as much as I will." I assured her.

Our lips pressed together immediately as all thoughts escaped from our heads. Our hands quickly wrapped around the other's body, not wanting to let go. We didn't remember where we were until the sounds of footsteps and voices were heard from the other side of the room.

We broke apart soon after, knowing that it was best to do so.

"I have to go." She nodded, agreeing even though she didn't want to. "I'll still see you later right? Before I leave?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"Great." And with a kiss on her forehead, I pulled away. In only a few short seconds, my shoes were on, I grabbed the Silencer (which still didn't have an official name), and I was at her window, preparing to climb out of it, the same way I did when I came in last night. With a final glance back, I looked at her.

She smiled, a much more assertive and stronger one this time.

* * *

Apart from the contents of the lab, I like to think I don't have very many material belongings. And for the most part, that's true. As it was a practically a cross-country move, packing as lightly as possible was essential. Thanks to my parents making the trip with me, I would be able to bring pretty much everything I would need at MIT and be ready for the Honors program move-in tomorrow morning.

There were some things I would inevitably and unwillingly have to leave behind of course, most notably, my underground home away from home that is the lab.

An infinite number of memories have occurred in there, some more unforgettable than others. Even if I could take everything in it with me, I don't think I could bring myself to do it. It's a hugely significant part of my life and to leave it as, at least until I come back, seems to be the best way to go about it.

Even though my parents are not allowed in there, nor would they be able to enter if they tried, it doesn't mean the lab won't be maintained while I'm away at school.

Goddard, even as a robotic canine, won't be able to go on my college journey with me. While this is something I've known for a while, all the time in the world would never be able to lessen my unhappiness about it.

It's no secret that Goddard is my favorite and most useful invention and as he's been such an important part of my life since the day I invented him, it will be unbearably difficult to leave him behind and no longer see him every day once I'm up at Cambridge. Luckily, he'll be able to keep up maintenance in the lab and make sure it still runs smoothly once I'm able to get back to it. Most of the time, however, he'll be with my parents, who have gotten very good at taking care of him in recent years, something that works out conveniently for all of us.

Another development that has taken place is the bond Goddard has developed with Cindy.

Since theirs was done in a shorter amount of time than it was with my parents, it was a much faster evolvement too.

While Goddard would occasionally bring up Cindy throughout the years, mainly to tease me than anything else, nothing progressive happened with her until she started coming down to the lab back when we were first hooking up last year. Goddard was smart enough to figure out what was going on without me having to say anything. Putting himself to sleep while Cindy and I were going at it was proof of that. But during the other times, when we would just be hanging around or studying, he didn't hesitate to get close to her, whether it be nuzzling up to her or happily barking whenever she entered the room. I may never know if that was because he was growing accustomed to seeing her or because he knew even then, and maybe even before I did, how much she meant to me.

Cindy, in turn, reciprocated Goddard's actions. Typically, that consisted of her petting him whenever he got close or simply giving him attention. Sometimes she'd bring him a pre-approved treat and that, I felt, was likely a grand part of what brought them closer.

Goddard was, just as everyone else, excited about Cindy and I getting together. These last weeks, his affection for her has increased and he's made no effort to hide it.

I'm glad to say that they're at the place now that if my parents weren't around for whatever reason, I could trust Cindy with Goddard. Seeing as Cindy still has another month to go before she leaves for New York, Goddard will likely be with her at times, mainly while my parents are at work. While I really like the idea, I can't help but admit, though it may sound a little cocky, that it might keep them from missing me too much.

Cindy, as she made clear when she wanted me to stay a little while longer in her bedroom this morning, is going to miss me tremendously. That feeling is definitely not one-sided.

The hardest part about moving away for school is inevitably being separated from Cindy. Even after she moves out east too, we won't be as severely distant as we will be for the first month. However, it will be enough to prevent us from seeing each other every day as we do now.

Knowing how difficult it will be to see each other once I leave, it seemed appropriate that we spend as much time together as possible before it happens. Like the first night we spent together, it wasn't something we planned ahead of time and instead just sort of happened. Sleeping over at Cindy's house also gave me further understanding why she was so worried about the first time it happened at my house the night before graduation. Although, since it was Cindy's house and it was her parents that could have potentially caught us, it felt like the stakes were much higher. Lucky for us though, we left no clue that her parents could have suspected a thing.

I don't regret it of course, or even the extra minutes this morning I spent with her. But out of everything, I can't deny that I was surprised about her declaration this morning.

There aren't very many times when Cindy talks about her feelings and seeing the way she reacts when she does, I can see why. Everything she was saying about how much time we've had together is very much true and something that I've myself thought about, but apparently not as much as she has. We can't change the past however, and that's something I know she's aware of.

Even though there's been little time for our romantic relationship to develop, I have no doubt that we'll still be able to maintain it as strong as it is now due to our entire history together. We may have grown as individuals and learned to like each before we ever came close to getting together and that, just knowing how far we've come, assures me that we'll be successful in how far we've yet to go. It'll be a challenge at times, I'm sure, but we've both proven it's one that we're willing to face.

Those thoughts, along with finalizing all packing before I leave, were at the forefront of my mind all morning and early afternoon.

Before I knew it, my parents and I were loading up the car, and Cindy, hands wringing, was making her way across the street towards me.

"Hey." She said casually once she approached me.

"Hi." She didn't make any move to hug or kiss me, and I understood why.

"So I think I've exhausted everything there is to say." Cindy admitted.

"Oh?" I chuckled.

"Yeah. I mean, you know how much I'm going to miss you and how I feel about… everything. I'm not going to give this moment some cheesy rom-com ending by telling you I love you since you already know that." Although everything she said sounded confident enough, there was a bit of uncertainty in her tone.

"You okay?" I replied, since she must be smart enough to know that there was no way I wouldn't pick up on it.

"Ugh..Did- have you checked your messages? I sent you something earlier."

"I've been packing all day and my phone was in my room charging. I haven't gotten a chance." As I was saying it, I dug my hand into the pocket of my jeans to take my phone out.

"No! Don't-don't look at it now." Cindy's said alarmingly and reached her hand out as if to stop me. "You can just see it later."

"Okay." I removed my hand. "What is it?" I asked so I knew to look out for it later.

"It's a photo. Of me." She announced somewhat nervously.

I smiled at her sentiment.

"In the umm.. shower this morning." We have done so many things together than many couldn't even dream of and yet this is something she is embarrassed enough about to look in another direction as she's saying it.

"Oh!" Because when your girlfriend tells you she has sent you a naked photo of herself, how else are you supposed to react? "Um... well.. um…"

"I know you're not going to forget about me. I'll make sure of that. But I figured it might come in useful when you're…missing me a little too much." She bit her lip and I couldn't tell if it was out of hesitant seduction or overwhelming nervousness.

"Right. Okay." I scratched the back of my head. "I'll err…yeah."

"Okay." Cindy gave a relieved laugh, like she was so happy to have confessed that. Seconds later we heard footsteps approaching us.

"Cindy dear! How are you?" My mom asked.

"Hey Mrs. Neutron. I'm doing okay." Which really was the most accurate response. My mom smiled at her and then turned to me.

"We're all ready honey." She said, referring to the fact that we were ready to head out to the airport. "I'll give you two a minute." As she walked away, I glanced at the car, trunk filled with luggage and duffle bags in the backseat.

"It looks like it's time." She observed.

"Yeah."

"Call me when you can. Whatever time is fine."

"Of course." I knew she wanted to keep our goodbyes as relaxed as possible so that she wouldn't start crying and since that's not something I wanted either, I played along.

"I hope the flight goes well and you get there safely." And even though she meant it, there's no way she could have hidden the tears forming in her eyes.

"I hope so too." I nodded.

Since neither one of us knew what else there was to say, the kiss we ended up in took neither one of us by surprise.

With Cindy in my arms, time felt like it stopped, and now more than ever, I wished that was the case.

Reluctantly, we both pulled away at the same time.

"Bye." She bravely took a step back, since I knew there was no way I could have been able to do it first.

"I love you." Not caring how much of a rom-com, as Cindy put it, it sounded like, I reminded her as I squeezed her hand and let go.

The last I saw of her was as the car was heading down the street, leaving the world I've grown up with and love, behind.

 **This chapter was a lot harder to write than I thought it would be. Let's stay positive though, okay?**

 **Thank you so much for reading! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**If anything I've ever written is reminiscent of my own life, it would be this chapter. Not every detail, but just the overall sense of what's going on. I really hope you enjoy.**

 **Cindy's POV**

"Okay, I think this is it!"

With bated breath, I twisted the key in the keyhole, turned the knob, and pushed open the door whose adoring numbers matched the ones of my room assignment sheet. Even though I haven't been outwardly expressing it much, I was immensely excited for this new chapter of my life to begin. The room I was about to enter and everything it symbolized was a part of it.

After so many years, ending with some intolerable final weeks of waiting, I was _finally_ moving into college. And if that wasn't exciting enough, it was all happening at the school that I've been dreaming about for years. Given my hard work all throughout my academic life, I was confident enough that I would be accepted into Columbia, despite their competitive acceptance rate. However, to have everything work out successfully so that I could enroll and move out here was incredible. And the day that I would begin this crazy, adventurous new journey has finally arrived.

Like Jimmy, my parents made the trip with me. This way, they could extend their time with me but still leave as soon as I was settled in. The two of them, never really being emotionally expressive people, have admittedly surprised me with the subtle signs of affection since we got on the plane to New York.

While they may be leaving in a little bit, them coming in the first place further reminds me of how grateful I am for everything they've given me my whole life including this opportunity. I can't say that it wasn't a challenge being their daughter, but it was certainly worth the hassle.

As I dragged in a duffel bag, my parents followed close behind, each pulling in a luggage case after them. Instead of focusing on their entry, however, I was paying attention to the fact that the room was already half decorated and that an olive-skinned, long haired brunette was rising from a chair at the far end.

"Hi!" I began, not bothering to hide my enthusiasm. "You must be Sonya."

"Yes! And you're Cindy?" She smiled.

"Yeah!" I replied. "These are my parents." I moved to the side so that they could all introduce each other. Setting my bag down on the remaining plain, uncomfortable looking mattress, and glad to be relieved of the weight, I took a quick look around the entire room. A smile spread onto my face and I'm sure I couldn't stop even if I tried.

I was glad to see that despite the tough and downright unlikeable first impressions my parents usually tend to make, that wasn't the case this time around. They were courteous and caring and considering their short amount of time here, they made a genuine effort to get to know Sonya. It could just be that as both my roommate and the person I'll be officially living with, they wanted to size her up and get an idea of what she's all about. Which is, to be honest, fairly appropiate.

As Sonya seemed to be done with setting up her half of the room, she assisted my parents and I getting mine done and with four sets of hands, the job did seem to go by a lot quicker than I could have imagined.

A few hours later, after we had mostly finished unpacking and Sonya and I got all our mandatory paperwork and materials taken care of, my parents announced their departure.

"Alright Cindy, we'll be leaving now." My mom turned to face me and I immediately felt a funny sensation in my stomach. As much as I did not like to admit it, I knew that it had everything to do with my parents leaving.

"Okay. Umm... thank you. For everything."

"Of course sweetheart." My mom smiled. "You're going to be staying in touch, correct?"

"Yes. I'm going to be calling both of you all the time." I finished off the vagueness in the sentence by looking at each of them.

"Anytime of day, anything you need, you let us know alright?" My dad, always so careful, informed me.

"Yes, I promise. Anything." My dad leaned in to kiss my forehead in response.

"Take care of yourself okay?" He reminded. I nodded as my mom embraced me and I hugged her back.

"We're so proud of you." My mom said as she pushed some of my hair out of my face. "You're going to do some great things here."

"Yeah, I think so too." I agreed with a nervous but growing smile. Another round of hugs went around before my dad spoke again.

"We'll get out of your hair now." He affirmed. "We love you. Work hard and… be careful."

"I will. I love you both too." With our final goodbyes in place, I closed the door behind them as they left.

* * *

"So tell me about Jimmy."

It was nearly an hour after my parents left and Sonya and I were killing time before going to one of the many freshmen activities organized by the university by getting to know each other. Earlier today, she asked about the framed photo I had placed on my desk of Jimmy and I, taken at graduation by his mom, and I informed her of who he was. As we sat on our own beds, cross-legged, she nodded towards the photo, and I explained our story a little more.

"Umm, well there's really not much." The poor girl does not deserve all that on the first day. Baby steps, I think. "We started dating a couple of weeks before graduation -we got together at prom actually- but we've known each other since we were kids."

"So you guys were friends before you got together. That is so sweet." She said it as more of a statement, not that I could really blame her for jumping to that conclusion.

"You-you could say that." At seeing the confused look on her face, I decided to continue. "Jimmy and I sort of had…like a casual kind of…thing… before we got together."

"Oh!" Based on her reaction, both body language and tone of voice, I knew she could tell what I meant. I practically saw the light bulb turning on over her head. "So, that does actually happen. And with that kind of result."

I laughed, thinking of how funny it was.

"Yeah, very much so."

"Sounds intense." She observed.

"Oh, believe me," I began, "you don't know that half of it." _All in due time_ , I thought.

"Where does he go to school?"

"MIT." I announced proudly, noticing that I sounded a little like him when he tells people.

"He must be really smart then. You sure know how to pick them." Sonya pointed out.

"He's definitely a pretty smart guy." I answered, knowing just how much of an understatement that was. "He got into all the schools he applied for. I only found this out after he applied but he was really excited about Caltech since he's always wanted to go there."

"Caltech was his first chose? So why didn't he go there?"

"Well, I _guess_ for me and-." She got me there.

Jimmy never said (nor did I ask) why he was going to MIT as opposed to Caltech, which he made a big deal about going to when I asked how the application process was going for him. It does seem obvious that my coming to New York had something to do with it. Geographically, since MIT is in Massachusetts, it made sense. Logically, not so much.

"I mean,… I suppose I don't really know why he didn't. He got scholarships for both and got into the Honors program so…." I explained more to myself than to her that time.

The more I thought about it and considered the facts, which I hadn't done prior to Sonya's interrogation, it truly didn't make sense why he'd end up going to MIT instead of his dream school. Take me out of the equation or remove the fact that we're in a relationship, and he could have been a Caltech Beaver instead.

"Well," She began cautiously, probably being able to tell how uncomfortable I was, "he must really love you then. That's awesome. Guys like that are not easy to find nowadays."

"Y-yeah."

To avoid any awkward tension, she looked over at her alarm clock, where the neon green digital numbers indicated the hour.

Seeing as it was about time to head over to the freshman mixer, we started getting ready.

In the back of my head however, I had a hard time letting go of what Sonya said.

I guess it's not supposed to be much of a concern, considering that Jimmy never brought up any issues. But the facts were there. There was ample reason for Jimmy to pick Caltech over MIT and yet he didn't. And there's a very large chance that I was a huge, arguably the only, cause for it.

Had I had any sort of inkling before I left, I would have taken advantage of my final days back home to find out the truth.

 _At first glance, it may have appeared a little weird when I accepted Mrs. Neutron's offer to stop by her house for tea. Yes, she is my boyfriend's mom, but seeing as he's an entire time zone and many states away, our meeting seemed a bit meaningless. Then again, as I began thinking while walking over, now that he's gone, she probably thought it was the perfect opportunity to have that long awaited, boyfriend's mom-to-girlfriend, woman-to-woman, talk._

 _As stress inducing as it may have appeared, I didn't have too much to worry about._

 _Talking points easily flowed in and out. I was both surprised and relieved that it never delved into the specifics or details of Jimmy and mine's relationship. As much respect as I have for Mrs. Neutron, that's not the kind of conversation I feel the slightest bit comfortable having. I don't think I'm in the wrong for thinking that either._

 _After a while however, there was one thing I was curious about that I knew we were likely never going to discuss unless I brought it up._

 _By the time I got down to asking, it almost felt as if I'm the one that called for this get-together._

" _Did he seem like, excited…sad…nervous…?" I asked, almost desperately, regarding how Jimmy looked about being dropped off at move-in day._

 _As much of a show as he put on for me, there's nothing that can hide how he felt once he arrived at Cambridge and was surrounded by the people and the environment he would be spending the next four years with. Seeing as how only two other people in the world, his parents, knew about it, it brought up quite a challenge to truly know. But, of course, there's really no better person to depend on for the truth than his own mother. And now that I have the chance, I'd be foolish to pass it up._

 _With a small smile, probably because she suspected why I was asking, she answered._

" _He seemed very happy, Cindy. We all know how much he's been looking forward to going to college. And even though he knows it might have hurt him to leave come people and places behind, he knows it's for the best. He's going to excel and he's just ready to show it."_

 _At the response, I nodded and gave a light smile, feeling a little silly for even asking, as if it were really going to give me any new information about him._

Thankfully, I was able to let go of the thought enough for me to enjoy my first night of college.

It didn't seem to end after the mixer though, since there was talk spreading around of a party going on in one of the neighboring residence halls.

While I was at first a little hesitant to attend, Sonya was quickly able to talk me into going. And to be completely honest, I didn't want to be that girl that starts missing out on things just because she's missing her boyfriend.

That being said, I still did want to call Jimmy. I said that I would do so once I was settled in and since he did call me as soon as he got the chance when he arrived at his school, it was only the fair thing to do.

Since I wasn't doing as an elaborate job of preparing for the party as Sonya was, I took the chance to call him while she was still doing so. Walking out into the hallway, I gave us both some privacy.

I smiled as I pressed his speed dial number and then the "send" key, so happy that I would be hearing his voice in just a few seconds. I leaned against the wall as I waited for the call to go through and him to pick up.

Nearly a minute passed as I held the phone up to my ear. The voice that I finally heard was a recording asking me to leave a message, instead of his real one greeting me.

The request was something I haven't had to do in years. So I was not at all ready when I heard the beep.

"Hey. It's me," I began despite not knowing how exactly I should. "Err.… Sorry, I haven't had to leave a voicemail for you in forever so I'm not sure what to say. I'm all settled here… at school. I can't wait to start classes. It's all just really exciting. I'm sure you get how it feels. Hmm. Well, I just wanted to call and talk to you for a bit, see how you're doing. But I guess you're busy or something so that's fine. Call me when you can. Umm..I'll talk to you later then. Bye. I love you."

 **I've got to admit, this chapter turned out a lot differently than planned but I really like it. I had to omit some things because they would not fit in here well but I will definitely be including them chapters to come. I hope you enjoyed and that you are not as worried as Cindy appears to be. Reviews?**


	5. Chapter 5

**On Twitter I posted a note explaining my absence and an apology. Long story short, a lot of things, including my college graduation (!), have kept me away from the story longer than I would have liked. But I have returned and am so happy about it! Hope you are too. Here is chapter five!**

 **Jimmy's POV**

Man, I love college.

It's no cakewalk, of course. And it's absolutely nothing like high school. It's not even like any other college really. I do go to MIT after all.

But it got better.

By the end of the summer Honors program, I felt that I had mastered the art of time management. And then, the rest of campus moved in and the school year officially commenced. While a college lifestyle is one thing I have never experienced (that one time back when I was 11 doesn't really count), I like to think I got the hang of it.

However, one thing that added to the difficulty of being out here was my separation from Cindy. Even though we do communicate as much as we possibly can, it just isn't the same as being able to see each other. At first, our attempts at contacting one another completely failed and we would constantly get each other's voicemail. It took a few days, but we had finally figured out a schedule. And as much as my roommates may tease me about it, that's not something I'll be taking as a joke.

Besides that easily-ignored flaw, my roommates are pretty cool. The two of them come from just as far away as I do, meaning that we've been going through the adjustment together. Even though we were all randomly selected to be roommates for the upcoming ten months, so far it turned out to be a good match. At times, they, in a unique way, even remind me of Sheen and Carl.

While they, and I suppose, everyone else, were off having adventures of their own, it further brought into light just how distant we all are from each other. Having spent some of the most thrilling years of my childhood with Sheen, Carl, Cindy, and Libby, facing a world in which they are no longer a constant part of is, I'll admit, much harder than I originally thought. There was one part of all this however, that did have that sense of homeliness.

Despite the fact that New York is only about a three-and-a-half-hour drive away, it turned out to be harder than I expected to go see Cindy. A weekend would clearly make the most sense, but with how involved each of us have gotten at school along with our academic workloads, it's difficult to come to an agreement on when would be the best time for a visit. Ultimately, all this does is add to how difficult this division is on us both.

Going on over two months now, including the time we were separated during the summer, it would appear that distance has definitely made the heart grow fonder. It's essentially the longest time we have ever been apart since the day we met all those years ago, a fact that I can never seem to forget. And every day, I miss her more and more like crazy.

As Cindy subtly brings up, our timing for becoming a couple is horribly inconvenient. Since we only had weeks together, I think we would both agree on how little we were able to indulge in a real relationship. Not counting all the physical aspects, that is. Besides graduation, there are a whole lot of milestones and 'firsts' that we're missing out on due to the bad timing of us making our relationship official. That usually doesn't seem like something I would be too invested in (although Cindy has no doubt noticed) but when faced with it, it's impossible to avoid.

Today, for example, is Halloween. It is, in a way, the unofficial start to the holiday season and a huge event for us as college students. To not be spending it together, as it is somewhat of a significant landmark, does put a slight damper on the day. I have a feeling that's likely the same reason why we have yet to mention what the other one's plans are for tonight.

I suppose she'll be doing something with her roommate, whom I've learned she has gotten very close with. In terms of her other friends, she's of course mentioned them but not to an extent that I would be able to be familiar with. I don't interpret that to mean that she's being secretive or hiding something about her friendships and connections she's made but the fact that she hasn't spoken about any plans for this date must mean something.

I can't get entirely upset with her about it though. Seeing as I haven't shared any of my plans either.

Besides that, we've been very open to one another about our experiences at our respective colleges. Or at least, for the most part.

I've known Cindy long enough to realize that, even though she would never admit it, she's very much the jealous type. She's not the best at hiding it either. While it hasn't really been an issue in the past few years, not nearly as much as when we were kids, now that we're in a relationship, it is something to be wary about. Having a separation like this does nothing to alleviate the problem either.

That's basically the reason I didn't tell her about Nina, the TA for my molecular biology class.

She's a junior and, given her position in the classroom, should have known a lot better. Nina never did anything more than flirt, which always ended up being a one-sided exchange anyway. Telling her I had a girlfriend ended up putting a complete stop to that.

I wish I could say the same for all other advances.

There are times when I am, I'll confess, oblivious when it comes to the opposite sex. But as I got older, female attention was something I noticed was directed my way quite often. In high school, it never turned into anything. Although I do have a feeling that may have had something to do with a constantly close and certain intimidating blonde. The problem is, Cindy is no longer around and until I tell them, other girls don't know that she even exists. And some are, unfortunately, less understanding than others.

All that is an issue I would just rather not bring up to Cindy, for what should now be seen as obvious reasons.

Having to leave this part out every time I speak to her is a challenge and one that I do feel bad about. My relief comes in knowing that she, hopefully, is not doing the same.

 **Cindy's POV**

I don't think it's fair to say that I knew what I was getting into when I made the life-changing decision to go to school and live, in New York City. I say that mostly because I never could have imagined that it would be going this incredibly well.

It's the change that I both anticipated and feared but was thankfully able to manage. The adjustment wasn't really even as hard as I imagined. The only thing missing, what was constantly at the forefront of my mind, was Jimmy. Saying I miss him so incredibly much isn't nearly a strong enough way to describe his absence. Talking on the phone every other day and the frequent texts messages throughout is not enough to fill that void.

Even though we make every effort to keep to our schedule, there's been a few times where we've had to cancel due to other, and, as much as it hurts to say, important commitments. This leads in us missing or overall forgetting to catch each other up on certain things.

Admittedly however, there are a couple of things I would rather him not find out about, not just yet anyway.

It may not have seemed this way in high school, given my reputation, but nowadays, I've become a lot more… social. That's not to say I'm out partying every night, because that's not what I came here to do. But I definitely feel like I've loosened up more and am not against having a, sometimes carefree, good time. I have both my new east coast environment and Sonya to thank for that. Sonya herself credits her inner Latina, although our adventures together have told me that New York clearly is not her first time at the rodeo.

My reason for not telling Jimmy this isn't because this is something I'm ashamed of. Instead, I feel that the change may be something that he's not going to be entirely open to.

There's also the subject of Sam, the guy who, along with his own roommate, lives two doors down from Sonya and I. He too is a freshman and one of the first people I met when I got here. In fact, our first encounter was a comical and memorable one.

I told myself not to be surprised at the amount of hungover underage students I would see in my early days here. But I can't say I was prepared to see it first thing the morning after my arrival in the co-ed communal bathroom while I was brushing my teeth.

He wasn't lewd or in any way offensive, which considering the circumstances, I was grateful for. Our official meeting, when we realized we were essentially neighbors, came later that day. And it's nearly every time we've seen each other since then that makes up the reason I won't tell Jimmy about him.

Sam flirts. Or at least he used to enough that even I noticed. Telling him I had a boyfriend made a big difference but there are still times when he acknowledges me as a little more than just floormates.

It really should be obvious why he won't be mentioned in my conversations with Jimmy. Knowing the range of his temper and thinking back to how he reacted with the last college boy involved in my life gave me plenty of reasons to keep this from him. As guilty as I feel, there's no reason why this should deter us from going on about our lives and seeing how it's going for the other.

I realized very early on in our relationship that the timing for it to begin was horrible. We wouldn't be able to be together for some major events like other couples normally would. As I told him the day he left for MIT, had we started dating this time last year, that would have been entirely different and maybe we could be better prepared for our eventual separation.

Halloween is tonight and while it should typically be a happy occasion during the college years, being away from Jimmy makes that difficult. It has nothing to do with us not being able to coordinate and actually pull off a couples costume, although the thought did briefly cross my mind.

We haven't spoken, apart from checking in on one another, in a few days, so I don't even know what he has planned, if anything. Just as I was thinking about my own impending plans, my phone rang from my desk and a smiled formed on my face.

* * *

"What are you dressing up as?" I asked him later on, hoping he wasn't being such a square about the festivities.

"Superman. Well, technically, Clark Kent."

"Really?" I wasn't fully expecting that he would answer, let alone with that.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing, I just always saw you as more as a Spider-Man type of superhero." He chuckled. I'm not sure if he understood why I said that, but I assumed he did.

"What are you going as?"

"Britney."

"Britney?"

"Britney Spears."

"Oh." He laughed again once I clarified. "I bet you'll look really good." He all but whispered into the phone.

"You'd win that bet." I replied as I glanced at the plaid skirt hanging from my desk chair that I was borrowing from Sonya and gently tugged on my hair that would shortly be styled into braided pigtails.

"What are your plans tonight?" he asked, and I could hear the careful and concerned tone in his voice, which may not have been there if I didn't tell him what my costume was.

"We're not entirely sure," I began. "There's always something going on in The Village and today won't be any different. But we'll probably just going to stay around here or maybe go to-." I stopped, deciding not to finish that sentence.

"What? Go where?" He asked, noticing my abrupt ending.

"Nothing. It's just- these guys… from a few doors down. They have this friend who has an apartment. They invited us over. Not just us but like, others too."

"Oh."

"But I don't think we'll go though. We don't really know them so…."

"You can go if you want to." I could hear the slight irritation in his voice.

"I-I wasn't asking for your permission."

"And I wasn't giving it. I'm just saying," he fought back. Not wanting to start an argument, I took a breath and didn't push the issue on my part any more.

"So what about you? What do you have planned?"

"I'm going to a party at Harvard with Annie."

The only reason I spoke was to keep the pause short so he wouldn't suspect anything out of it.

"Oh, Annie. Right."

"Yeah, it's supposed to be awesome. One of her friends said she could bring whomever she wanted so I'm tagging along."

"Yeah, it-it's good you have her there. A sense of home and all." While it was actually the first time I've said that to him, I've lost count of how many times I've said it to myself as a way of keeping calm.

It was difficult enough for me to hear the news that Annie ended up going to Harvard, a mere handful of minutes away from the MIT campus and therefore Jimmy. But when he told me that, due to their proximity, they were hanging out regularly, much more frequently than back home, mind you, I wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that.

Yes, I trust Jimmy one thousand percent.

Her, not so much.

He hummed back as a response, not agreeing nor disagreeing. It was probably the smartest thing he's said this entire conversation.

"Hey," he said after a few seconds of tense silence. "Be careful, okay? Call me if you need anything."

I smiled even though he wouldn't be able to see it.

"Of course. And um-." I knew even as I was forming the words in my head that this would not be easy for me to say. "Have fun. Tell Annie I said hello."

"Will do," was his reply. "I love you."

"I love you too. Call me tomorrow?"

"Definitely."

 **I wanted to quickly point out how funny it is that this chapter speaks about their early days of college, meanwhile I just finished up my own experience. Anyway…..**

 **Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Again, so SO sorry for the wait. Warning you now to brace yourselves for the drama that's about to ensue.**

 **Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I REALLY hope we're still on good terms after you read this. Here's chapter six.**

 **SIX WEEKS LATER**

 **Cindy's POV**

"I'm sure you did fine."

"Maybe. I don't know. But I swear that professor has it in for me." I explained to Jimmy over the phone.

"Isn't she the one that's pregnant?"

"Yeah, which is the reason for all this. She couldn't wait until the semester ended to go on maternity leave so she had to go and give us the final before anyone else did."

"Well, wouldn't you have rather taken it before finals week starts so you're not overwhelmed by all the other ones?" He replied, once again being the logical one.

"I guess, yeah." I sighed as I unlocked the door to my room and walked in. "So, what are you doing?" I shifted the attention off me and asked as I sat on my bed and removed my shoes.

"Just here studying for this physics final."

"Sounds like a load of fun." I knew he could hear the sarcasm.

"I don't think it'll be too difficult. I've always been pretty good at this." I smiled over how modest he sounded.

"Oh, that reminds me: what date are you flying home? Libby's trying to set something so we can all go to lunch together." With winter break coming up soon, I was finally going to get to see Jimmy. It surprised me, although it shouldn't have, that we have been unable to organize a visit with us being relatively close. So it was funny how after all these months, the next time I would see him would be back in Retroville anyway. I was also, of course, excited about going home to see my parents.

"Yeah, about that…." I heard him mumble.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, per se…. I just… have to tell you something."

"Okay," I started off cautiously as I laid down on my bed. "What's up?" He let out a sigh that I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to hear and began.

"Do you remember that internship I was telling you about? With NASA?"

"The one you said you had zero chance of getting because they only accept upperclassmen?" I replied as I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Yeah. Well, I got it."

My mouth dropped, truly surprised.

"Are you serious? Oh my God, Jimmy! That's amazing!" I squealed into the phone. "I am so proud of you."

"Yeah." He spoke blandly, noticeably not nearly as excited as I was.

"What is it? Isn't this what you wanted?" I asked, unable to understand his tone.

"Cindy, I'm not going back to Retroville over the break."

If I wasn't already expecting and paying attention for an answer, I would have asked him to repeat it, due to how quickly he spoke.

"Wh-wait, what do you mean? I thought that was a summer internship." Jimmy hasn't told me too much about the NASA internship although I do know it would be for six weeks over the summer of next year. As of now, I didn't have any long-term summer plans except for going home. Before finding out about the internship, I was hoping Jimmy was going to join me. But it's clearly an opportunity he cannot pass up and I'm not going to be the crazy girlfriend standing in his way. Considering I had already gone through these past few months without seeing him, I thought I could easily handle six weeks while he's in Florida.

So why's he's saying he's not coming back home for the holiday break is something I really don't understand.

"The summer one is the one everyone applies for," he began. "Since it's more intensive and harder to get into, I thought I'd still have a slim but bigger chance if I went for the winter one, so I did. And I got in."

I couldn't say anything. I don't know if he thought that was out of shock or because I was waiting for him to continue.

"I'll be leaving for Florida the day after the semester ends and coming back to school two days before it starts. I don't know when you're going to start but if you'll be in school by then maybe I can land in New York instead and see you for a-."

"How long have you known?"

"Err, what?"

"How long have you known you've had the internship?" I repeated surprisingly patiently. "You didn't just find out about it right before I called you so how long have you known?"

He took a noticeable pause, then spoke again.

"Two weeks."

" _Two weeks?!_ " I yelled.

"Yes, but-."

"You've known this whole time and you didn't say anything? You're going to be leaving in less time than the amount of time you've had to tell me about it," Nine days to be exact, "and this is how casually you bring it up?!"

"I was going to tell you as soon as I found out, but I couldn't find the right way."

"And when were you going to tell me if I hadn't brought up going home?" When I thought back to it, he wouldn't have said anything if I hadn't asked what day he was flying back to Texas.

"I-I don't know."

"Oh, okay so I was just supposed to be sitting in my living room, wondering where you are, until you send me the photos of you at South Beach?"

"Cape Canaveral and South Beach are three hours from each other so I don't think-."

"Are you kidding me right now?" The question wasn't just because he was pointing out how far the two places were.

It was quiet on both ends. At least until my sobs escaped.

"You realize I haven't seen you in over three months, right? The majority of our time being together has consisted of us being apart. Did that even occur to you?"

"Cindy, you know that it has. I'm not doing this to hurt you. But this chance may never come again."

Ignoring him, I continued.

"So that means I'm not going to see you until what? Next summer? Is that what you're saying?" It'd be a wonder if he could understand what _I_ was saying with how much I was crying through the phone.

"Yeah, I suppose that's it."

His response did nothing to stop the tears and I know he could hear them.

"How could you do this?" I asked.

"I still might be able to see you for a -."

"No, I mean how," I reached for the box of tissues I kept on my desk and pulled one out, "how could you doubt yourself? You've gotten awards recognizing your intelligence. You're practically a frigging celebrity in the scientific community. I don't get why you thought you wouldn't be smart enough for a damn NASA internship and played it safe instead."

"I don't see it as playing it safe, Cindy. I told you, it's highly competitive and-"

"Did _Annie_ put you up to this?" I blurted it out, not really noticing that I said it.

"What does that even mean?" He asked in a very different tone than he was speaking in before.

"It means Miss Goody Two-Shoes over there-." I stopped as suddenly as when I made the first comment about her, knowing I would very likely regret what I would have said.

Jimmy's known since the day we met Annie that my attitude towards her hasn't exactly been the most… pleasant. And while he's right in saying I don't really have a reason to be negative towards her, especially now that he and I are together, it isn't as easy to stop as one would think. I've never said anything nasty about her directly to him either and, despite how heated I am, I wasn't about to start now.

"You and her are close." I began, choosing my words carefully. "Physically, you're closer than we are. So… I don't know. Maybe you spoke to her about this and she gave you some advice or-."

"Annie had nothing to do with this and it really upsets me that you think that. How many times do I have to tell you that we're just friends?"

I scoffed in reply, not really knowing what to say, but allowing that to say everything.

"I'm sorry," he spoke, back to his original tone. A part of me felt that he knew that's what he should say as opposed to what he wanted to say.

"So that's it then? It's decided?" I asked instead of acknowledging his apology as I wiped the tears away.

"Yes." He answered reassuringly. "This is really important to me Cindy. You know that."

"Fine." I shuddered out a breath. "I'll just… see you when I see you then."

"Okay." He said it sadly and even though he was trying to offer an alternative before, he knew he wouldn't be able to say much of anything else now. "I lov-."

I hung up before he could finish.

I tossed the phone onto my bed, crossed my arms, and allowed myself to cry, not caring if Sonya came in and saw me.

* * *

 **Jimmy's POV**

Being a college student, I was finally eligible to apply for the NASA internship and that was one of the things I was most excited about when I enrolled at MIT.

But I sincerely never thought that I would end up getting it.

NASA has acknowledged me many times throughout the years, but to actually have a chance to work, hands-on, with them, was not something I saw myself doing, especially as an undergraduate.

Of course, I considered the fact that part of the reason I got it was because my name and credentials looked familiar, but with how competitive it was, I didn't mind any factor that could help my chances.

I found out, or more specifically, opened the email about my acceptance, on Cindy's birthday, which is the main and most obvious reason I couldn't tell her right away. It turned out well though, because at least I could take some time to think of how to tell her. A few days would suffice, until she was no longer on her birthday high.

" _At least she knows_ about _the internship,"_ I kept telling myself _._ Her knowing about it took away half the work of explaining and would likely lessen the surprise since our separation would be inevitable anyway. If I had gotten it when originally planned, I would be away from her for six weeks in the summer. By then though, we would have been reunited since the time we both got home from school. So while it would still be a difficult separation, it would be one we were better prepared for.

Ultimately, I found it easier to lie to her about when I got the news and told her I found out two weeks ago instead of one.

Had I said a week ago, she would know that was on her birthday and would, likely, make a bigger fuss about it and sarcastically comment on the timing of when they send out acceptance notifications. I knew the excuse of trying to figure out how to tell her would also make the two-week wait plausible.

However, in an odd and probably sick way, I felt better about it, knowing I didn't keep it from her for as long as I said I did.

I was sure of one thing though: there was no way this conversation would end without her getting mad.

Originally, I applied for the summer session, wanting to set my goals high. And while I _could_ have been accepted anyway, I knew internally there was a greater chance if I went for the session that wasn't as intensive. As it turned out, it worked. It was then that I knew that the only thing harder than waiting for a reply from NASA would be having to tell Cindy about my acceptance.

So I was incredibly relieved when Cindy was the one that brought up going back home for the holidays since it meant I wouldn't have to do it myself.

Apart from anger, I didn't specifically have an idea of what her reaction would be. But I was not anticipating her to ask if Annie had any role in "this", by which I figured she meant my decision to apply for and attend the winter session instead.

Annie didn't even know about my interest in the internship until I told her I was changing my request and going for the winter one, meaning I had already submitted all the proper materials by then anyway. A reason as to why was out of forgetfulness since each one of us had so much going on that I never really got around to mentioning it. But more importantly, I liked that this was something Cindy and I had become invested in together and I wanted to keep it like that.

No matter the distance and difficulties that arise, Cindy is my girlfriend. Annie is, and will always be, just a friend. With those relationships being so important to me, there is a level of respect and boundaries that are in place so that they are both strong and have as little issues as possible, particularly with each other.

Cindy making comments like the ones she made about Annie hurts that.

It's something she has to grow out of and something I hope she is able to think about in the next few weeks.

 **First, please know that there isn't an exact NASA internship that's being referred to here. I don't even know if there is even such thing as one in general. The idea of one just works really well for the story.**

 **Please let me know what you think because there's a LOT of thoughts you can have with this type of scenario. But still be nice, okay?**

 **Oh, and for the two of you who left a review yesterday, IMBECCABLE timing!**


	7. Chapter 7

**YOU ARE ALL SO INCREDIBLE! Thanks so much for your feedback on the last chapter. We seem to have hit a rocky road for these two but hopefully things will get better….**

 **And now for some words of caution: you're about to be reminded of why the story is rated M. It's been pretty light the past few chapters in terms of adult content, but not so much anymore. It's at the end of the chapter. You have been warned.**

 **FOUR WEEKS LATER**

 **Cindy's POV**

The past few weeks have been... rough to say the least.

It wasn't easy to find out that my boyfriend would in fact not be joining me back home after being apart our first semester of college and that we would be spending our first holiday season as a couple separated.

Our situation, much as our entire past, is unique and unfortunately, consists of far too many hurdles. But since I would end up back at the most familiar and comfortable place I knew, Jimmy's absence was not going to be as difficult as I had originally thought.

I was able to see my best friend again. Just as I had with Jimmy, Libby and I stayed in constant communication. Seeing how busy the two of us had gotten along with our grand distance, I was incredibly grateful that we were able to keep in touch throughout all of it. We were still able to arrange a lunch together and even though I didn't want the conversation to go in that direction, the majority of it was spent talking about Jimmy and the NASA internship.

I figured Libby would be able to understand my frustration which is why I was surprised to learn her opinion on the matter. Despite the small part of her that agreed with me, because of her personal experience with her own romantic partner being -much farther- away from her, she turned out to be more on Jimmy's side on the matter.

"I know it's a different example but, this is something Jimmy has to do." I recalled her saying with our glasses of lemonade sitting between us. "It's good for him. And who knows? Maybe one day, it'll be good for you too. It's not like he's off vacationing with his friends and didn't tell you about it at all."

Prior to her saying that, I hadn't really thought about it in that way. It wasn't until after I saw it from her perspective that I felt guilty for getting as mad as I did.

It hasn't been easy, but I was slowly getting over it.

Thankfully, Jimmy was able to acknowledge that something was wrong. With the way it's been going between us lately, how could one not?

The best word to describe how things are going with Jimmy and I right now would be... tense.

I have spoken to him many times since he told me about his holiday break plans but it is not as easy-going as it was before he delivered the news. And I know he can sense it as well. Our conversations are shorter and I have a feeling it's not just because he's busy all the time. As bad as it sounds, I haven't been invested in listening to when he explains details of what's going on at the internship and how excited he gets over certain parts about it. In a sick and unfair way, I suppose that hearing how well it's going for him only gets me more upset about our situation.

The only time it really seemed to go back to the way things were was the time he called me from the airport while he was waiting for his plane to Florida to board. I had arrived back home just the day before and even though I had let him know I arrived safely, it was the first time I spoke to him on the phone since then.

" _Did you get the flowers I sent?" Jimmy spoke nervously and with a rushed tone through the phone._

" _The ones to my dorm room or the ones to my house?"_

" _Both."_

" _Yes." I smiled as I remember how surprised I was when I opened my bedroom door and saw a large basket of multicolored roses sitting on my desk. They were identical to the ones that were delivered to my room at Columbia just a few days ago. "Though you do know the ones in New York will be dead by the time I get back next semester?"_

" _Hmm." He replied, probably not realizing it until I said it._

" _By the way, the bracelet arrived this morning." I smiled to myself. "I love it. Thank you."_

 _As a birthday gift, although I thought it served as something of an apology as well, Jimmy got me a pearl (of course) bracelet with a charm attached that had the date we started officially going out engraved on it. It was impressive, gorgeous, and by the looks of it, completely out of his price range._

" _Good, you got it." He sounded relieved. "I'm glad you like it. I had a lot of help. Some of them may be my friends but I owe most of the geology department a huge favor now."_

 _A warmth erupted within me at realizing out all the trouble he actually went through to get this done for me._

The jewelry in question was currently sitting on my dresser across the room but was impossible to forget about. I've worn the bracelet everyday since it arrived and think about Jimmy everytime I look at it.

At times, it even helps with the pain of not being able to see him.

On a positive note, Jimmy not being around meant there would be practically zero distractions from me getting prepared for spring semester.

Shortly after registration, I was able to find out some pieces of the required reading for a couple of my classes. Getting my hands on the books ahead of time had many advantages, primarily being that I could get ahead in the reading in the comfort of my own home.

It's how I've spent many nights since I've been back, including this one. Jimmy and I may not be at an ideal place, both physically and figuratively, but it won't stop me from continuing on with the rest of my life. Even though, I have to admit, not having him as an academic adversary anymore takes away some of the fun of it all.

Just as I was starting a chapter on socioeconomics, I noticed my phone light up from my bedside table with a very familiar name on the caller ID. Because of how late it was where the call was coming from, I answered it warily. Before I could speak, the voice on the other side beat me to it.

"What are you wearing?"

Confused, I took the phone away from my ear and checked the screen to confirm who it was.

"Jimmy?"

An indistinguishable chuckle came through the phone.

"Who else would it be?"

"Isn't it like one in the morning over there?" I sat up, preparing myself to get out of bed if necessary. "Is something wrong?"

I, as always, appreciate any chance I get to talk to him. It does seem odd however, that he would call in the wee hours of the morning on the east coast.

"I'm fine. I have the graveyard shift of checking the computers for any new data that comes in and it's boring as hell. I was passing the time by thinking about you." He said that last part in a low voice and I smiled, glad that it was all that was going on.

"You were?"

"Yeah. I was also looking at that photo you sent me."

"You were?" I repeated in a slightly different tone, this time to confirm something else.

"I never told you what I thought about it, huh?" I heard him suck in a breath. "Damn, I miss you." He said gruffly and before I could respond, he spoke again. "The photo's great but nothing compares to the real thing. I can't see you or…touch you." The last two words come out differently and I knew it was intentional.

And then, all of a sudden, the reason for his phone call, despite it being for something completely new, made sense.

"Are-are you really trying to do that right now?" I didn't say it like in the annoyed tone I used to have with him when we were younger and he was about to do something life-threateningly stupid. It sounded more like a caution.

"'Try' being the operative word here," he answered. As enticing as the idea sounded, I still had some hesitation.

"Are you sure? No one is going to barge in on you or anything?"

"Nah, every night they get one of the interns to do this. No one is going to come back in here until morning. The nighttime custodian even left an hour ago." He clarified. "Are you okay to do it?" He asked urgently, like he didn't previously ask if I was alone, which he actually didn't.

"Yeah." I replied honestly. "My parents are already asleep and I'm just… lying in bed." I giggled at how appropriately accurate, both to the situation and reality, that was. After a couple of seconds of thinking over my options, I answered his original question. "Boy shorts. The lacy kind you like. In red."

Since I was actually wearing an oversized Columbia blue t-shirt and plain white cotton underwear, I wasn't going to tell Jimmy the unsexy truth of what really made up my clothing. After all, we are supposed to be using our imaginations, aren't we?

"Anything else?" He breathed into the phone.

"A camisole." I lied. "It's a size smaller than I'm used to so it's a little tight. I think I'm just going to take it off." I distinctly heard him grunt on the other end.

"Why don't you go ahead and do that?"

"Okay." I said it in a way that he could hear the feigned innocence in my voice.

I closed the book and it set it down on the same place where my phone was just sitting. I took a few seconds to actually remove my shirt, wanting to give a little bit of reality to the fantasy. In just my underwear this time, I tried to keep it a bit more private and covered myself with the sheet.

"Now what?" I said once I had the phone in my hand again.

"Now I want you to reach up," he spoke, "and grab one of your tits." My breath escaped from my body, like I had suddenly and unknowingly been thrust into outer space. While I knew he was going to ask me something like that, to actually hear him saying it is something else.

"Touch 'em. The way I do. The way you like." Doing as he said, I cupped my right breast with my left hand and began kneading it. After a few seconds, I closed my eyes and tried to picture him over me, squeezing one breast while his mouth and tongue teased the other, just as he would do if he were really here.

While I recalled how it felt, my nipples hardened and as I gently pinched them, I knew the sounds of pleasure I produced could be heard through the phone.

"Good girl." He said like he was rewarding me.

"How do you know I'm doing it?" I managed to ask even though I already knew.

"Because I can hear you moaning baby." It was almost as if him saying that word made me do it again. "You're thinking of me, aren't you?"

"Yesss."

"You know what I'd do if I were there right now?"

"Hmm?" The sound wasn't entirely in response to his question.

"I'd have you naked." I exhaled a breath as I worked on taking off my underwear. "On your hands and knees," he continued. "And your perfect little ass in the air, waiting for me."

As he spoke, I was able to steadily balance the phone between my ear and shoulder so I could use both hands on myself. One hand was still on my breast while the other started trialing down towards the growing familiar moisture.

Besides following his orders, which were getting me hot on their own, I used memories of our times together to keep it going. And they weren't any of the softer, gentler examples either.

"I'd push into you, but you're gonna be tight. And _so_ wet." He paused then, and I realized he was probably positioning himself. "I want to know how wet you are Cin. Let me hear it."

My fingers slid under my folds and touched my swollen bit of skin.

"Ughh... Jimmy..." I hoped the shudder in my voice would serve as proof for him. "Ohh..."

"That's my girl," he groaned. "All wet. Just for me."

"Fuck _,"_ I said breathlessly. "Yes... Just for you." I didn't say anything after that and he must have interpreted that as an action, especially because my heavy breaths could still be heard on his end.

"Mmm... You're so _damn_ sexy..." He trailed off. I kept myself going at a growing pace and it resulted in a series of breathy gasps. I wanted to say something but was in way too deep to be able to formulate anything.

"What is it?" Jimmy groaned as he understood what I was trying to do. "Tell me what you want."

"I want- I need your... cock…inside me." I uttered out a word I've never spoken before.

"Yes," he breathed.

"Fucking me. _Hard._ And deep. Until I'm... screaming your name over…and over." My fingers dipped lower and the noises I let out surely gave it away .

"Are you fingering yourself?"

"Uh huh."

Close to the edge, more images came to mind.

I thought back to when we were still casually together and fervidly used the couch down in his lab. That time we did it in the school's chemistry lab was also unforgettable due to so many factors. And then there was Cancun.

 _Ohhh, Cancun..._

"God, I'm so close...!"

"Shit..." he let out with a hoarse voice. "Ahh.. FUCK."

I reached the familiar peak at nearly the same time he did with a smile that he couldn't see plastered on my face.

"Jimmy... That- that was..." I couldn't even finish my thought.

"Yeah, I know." He let out. "You okay?"

"Much more than okay." I let out with a light laugh.

"I love you." He said it like a reinforcement. "Don't ever forget it."

"I won't," was my soft reply. "I can't wait to see you."

"Soon. I promise."

I nodded, more to myself than anything.

"Good night."

"Good night."

 **A few of you were curious as to what was going to happen during a Jimmy-less holiday break. Please let me know if you were expecting anything like this.**

 **Not going to waste any more time or space on here but for those that follow me on Twitter, (D13Tribute) be aware that I will be sharing my feelings on THAT particular scene. So look out for that.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it and please remember to leave me a review. Love you guys.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay. So this chapter is really special. It is, essentially, the reason we even have a sequel at all. This was originally envisioned as a one-shot, kind of peek into Jimmy and Cindy's relationship while away at separate schools. It would have needed a lot of background detail though. As opposed to making one extremely long one-shot, I went ahead and wrote an entire story instead. I hope you don't mind.**

 **Please enjoy!**

 **FIVE WEEKS LATER**

 **Jimmy's POV**

"You are _so_ hot!"

I managed to step to the side just before she stumbled on her own feet and bumped into me. She got close enough, however, that I could easily smell the alcohol on her breath.

"Sorry!" Her friend said to me as she guided the inebriated brunette into the rowdy crowd.

As if I didn't have enough of a reason to want to leave.

Seeing as I had been, as my roommates put it, "uptight as hell" the past few days, they thought it'd be a good idea to try to loosen me up by going to a rager they heard about going on near BU. I ended up going but not for the reason they tried to convince me with. It was mainly because someone out of our group had to be the responsible one.

We have only been back at school for a few weeks since winter break ended and despite that each one of us had our own plans, we were easily able to get back into old habits, particularly when it came to our weekend plans. While I usually don't have an issue tagging along to whatever event or, most likely, party they hear about, this one was something I could have gone without.

A part of it was because I didn't want to be surrounded by all the drunk co-eds, such as the one I had just encountered, that seem to be in high quantity at these types of parties. They also seem likely to be present due to the upcoming event that gives them an excuse to be particularly social.

But to be completely honest, tonight I would have rather stayed in my room getting a good night's sleep.

Tomorrow morning, there's an early train to New York I need to catch.

After months that seemed to have no end, I was _finally_ going to get to see Cindy again.

This visit was not as difficult as I thought it would be to plan. We mutually decided that I would be the one going to her instead of the other way around.

It turned out that the trip would be easier for Cindy. However, a part of me couldn't help but think the real reason she preferred it this way was out of fairness, since, because of my internship, I'm the reason we have gone as long as we did without seeing each other.

It's also convenient because her roommate will actually be out of town all weekend, meaning that we are going to, miraculously, be left entirely by ourselves. Seeing as this never happened back home, saying I was excited for this weekend was an incredible understatement.

While I knew there was no way for me to speed up time so that I would be able to see her sooner, I never stopped wishing that I could.

"Ey, Jim! You seen Charlie?"

I shifted my attention to the tall and dark haired guy my age that I also happened to live with. Nyle was easily walking through the crowd and it didn't take long for him to stand in front of me, Red Solo Cup in hand.

"No." I confirmed that I didn't know the whereabouts of our other roommate. "Why? You ready to leave?" I replied a little too eagerly.

He snorted before bringing the cup to his mouth and taking a drink. "Nah, but there's this girl I want him to meet. She's got this friend and they're real cute, ya know?" He nudged me as if I didn't already understand what he was saying.

We have enough in common to be able to call ourselves friends. But we have many differences as well. One of which includes our relationship statuses.

Nyle and Charlie, though they've each had girlfriends in the past, were not in relationships when they came out here for school and haven't been in one since. That was something they took full advantage of nearly every time they got a chance. I'm the only one in the group who isn't single, and at times like these, they do not let me forget it.

"Ah, there you are, man!" Facing the direction he was looking towards, I saw Charlie only a few feet away. He nodded his head in acknowledgement and approached us.

Once he got to us, Nyle spoke again but more to Charlie than me.

"I got us these two girls in the other room. Smokin' hot. What do you say?"

"Yeah, let's go." Both of them turned facing the room where Nyle originally came from. "Jim, you coming?" Considering what they were about to do, I knew he was asking more out of politeness in an attempt to not exclude me than anything else.

"I actually um, I'm going to head out now."

"You sure?" asked Charlie.

"Yeah," I confirmed. "I have an early day tomorrow."

They were both aware of my plans for the weekend and I even told them that I was likely going to leave the party early because of it. But if they didn't already know, the huge grin I had on my face after I said that I was leaving would have given something suspicious away.

"Alright then. Have a good weekend." Charlie said with a suggestive raise of his eyebrows while Nyle laughed alongside him.

"Bye guys." I shook my head playfully as I turned and walked towards the exit.

Since the party was off-campus, I had a bit of a walk ahead of me. I took on the walk, knowing it was something I needed.

It was a huge relief to finally get to see Cindy not just because of the action of doing so, but also because being physically there with her will make it a lot easier to work on our relationship.

Even without all the present and unfortunate factors, I knew that entering a romantic relationship with Cindy would be no easy ride. Her brashness, along with my slightly inflated ego can understandably appear to be reasons for us not really being a good match. We overcame that boundary, but have since then faced more. Due to our circumstances, I've come to realize, though I don't plan on telling her, that we really have no idea what we are like in a romantic relationship since we've had such little time to develop one.

On my end, I plan to use this weekend to make an attempt at it. I owe her -I owe us- that much.

It wasn't perfect timing when I was accepted to the NASA internship, I know. Everything related to that from the time I found out I got in to telling her about it brought out the worst in me and it's something I wish I could take back. I don't regret taking the internship though. The weeks I spent at NASA were some of the most unforgettable and one of the best parts of my life.

I learned so much. Some things, I probably never would have been taught. I am endlessly grateful for more the experience and increasing the love and interest I have for the world outside of our own. There were, of course, still times when I wanted to work on what was going on in my own world as well.

Despite that, I didn't plan out ahead of time to have phone sex with Cindy.

Everything I told her about where I was was true. I was on schedule to be in the data control room overnight, being watchful of new data that enters. Those that had gone previously warned me about how boring it was. Thinking it was an exaggeration, I didn't preoccupy myself much with what they said. I was only a couple of hours into it when I finally understood.

While I had seen the photo Cindy sent to me so many times that it had been engraved in my memory, I decided to pull my phone out and take another look at it. Seeing the curve of her naked body and drops of water glistening off it always got to me and served as a reminder of how much I missed her. Seeing as I was always thinking about Cindy anyway, on that particular night, I decided to do something about it.

There wasn't any rule against it, but I knew making that type of personal phone call probably wasn't allowed while I was, technically, on duty. On the very off chance that someone found out, or even worse, caught me in the act, I don't know what would have happened and I'm not entirely sure I want to find out.

Luckily, the conversation ended up going better than I expected.

That wasn't something either one of us had done before so there were a lot of ways it could have gone. I expected some kind of awkwardness at the beginning and I suppose that kind of did happen. As I figured though, Cindy caught on pretty quickly and, based on what I could hear, easily became a more than willing participant.

Since it was unplanned, I also didn't think this was going to do much, if anything, to fix our issues. In fact, the idea many never have occurred to me on its own had I not looked at the photo. I couldn't deny, however, that this placed us on a completely new stage in our relationship.

Finally, I made it to my room, tired enough that the sleep I had ahead of me would be greatly appreciated. As I moved around the room and bathroom getting ready for bed, it reminded me of another reason why it was preferred that I go to New York instead of Cindy coming here.

It's not hard to imagine what the condition of a cinderblocked dorm room inhabited by three teenage men is like. I wouldn't say it's an embarrassing enough mess though. But it also isn't the type of place I'd like to use to host my girlfriend that I haven't seen in months. While I haven't seen what her room in New York looks like, I doubt she'd be able to find the proper similarities to make her feel comfortable and at home.

Once I got settled into bed, I found that actually getting to sleep was a lot harder than I thought. There was so much to look forward to this weekend that I was not able to wait for the greater part of it to begin.

* * *

My lack of proper sleep last night surprisingly did not affect my ability to stay awake on this train ride. I suppose all the excitement at seeing the woman I'm in love with after such a long time had something to do with it.

Even with the unexpected delay, the travel time seemed to take longer than planned. I felt like I was sitting on this train for ten times longer than I really was. On the bright side, I hadn't heard any announcement that we would be arriving at Grand Central Station any later than scheduled so at least I don't have to worry about that.

Having never been to the iconic terminal, or New York at all for that matter, Cindy and I had arraigned to meet under the clock at the information desk. 'You can't miss it,' she said to me when we were deciding where to meet up.

Our impending reunion seemed surreal.

It was obviously going to happen sooner or later. But even with all the conversations we've had about it, it still somehow seemed like it was never going to occur. After such a long wait thought, the day was finally here.

In less than a half hour, I stepped onto the platform and made my way to the main terminal as quick as I could and trying not to look like the tourist that I was. Cindy sent me a text message only minutes ago saying that she had arrived at our rendezvous point. As soon as I read it, I knew it would not be a good idea to keep her waiting.

Since I still wanted to keep cool about the situation, my reply to her was a quick 'okay' and nothing else. To keep her on her toes, I didn't text her when I got off the train or see if she could guide me to where she was from my location. Even though she knew I was coming, I wanted to see if I could still surprise her somehow and see the look on her face if I managed to do so.

Despite the hundreds of people walking across the terminal at that moment, seeing her ever-recognizable wavy blonde hair made her stand apart from everyone else.

She was wearing a burgundy peacoat, a wise choice for the type of weather that consists of a New York winter.

Cindy didn't spot me at first, but I could see her face. She looked around quickly, her head moving from one side of the room to the other, a mixture or nervousness and impatience, though I figured it was more of the latter. A small black cross-body purse was across her chest but I noticed that she held her phone in her hand. She squeezed it every few seconds, probably letting out her frustration that I had yet to appear.

She looks, essentially, exactly the same, and yet a thousand times more beautiful than I last saw her.

When our eyes finally met, she smiled so widely, it was hard to believe it came from the same person I was just describing.

Within seconds, I held her in my arms, both of us locked in an impossibly tight embrace.

"I…I can't believe you're actually here!" Cindy said as she pulled away with tears in her eyes.

"Well, it's not like you didn't know I was coming." I replied as I wiped one of her tears away as she let out a laugh. "How are you?"

"So much better now that you're here."

Once our lips met, I felt like we had never kissed, not _really,_ before that moment.

It was incomparable and I knew a part of her felt it too. People were likely staring, but I didn't care. No one could take away this moment of happiness for us.

When we broke apart, she had a grin on her face that I knew all too well.

"I hope you aren't tired from that train because you've got more to go before we get to campus." Since we were standing so close to each other, there was no denying my groan of a compliant. But I also had no difficulty hearing her next words. "And once we get there, I promise it'll be worth it."

 **So if you can't tell, this will have a part two (since I sure as hell can't leave you hanging like that). That will be the first time we have one of those in this story. The chapter numbers will be weird now, thanks to the site. But just keep in mind that chapter 9 on here will really be chapter 8: part 2, chapter 10 will really be chapter 9 and so on. To avoid confusion, in the future, when I reference chapters, I will be sure address them according to how the story is going and NOT how they are listed on the site.**

 **I apologize tremendously for the long wait, but I really hope you still enjoyed it. Please leave a review. I can't wait to read what you guys think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here is chapter 8: part 2! Taking place very shortly after the events of part one. Enjoy!**

 **Jimmy's POV**

No tour. No stopping to say hello or to introduce me to anyone.

I have no idea what the name is of the residence hall we just entered or which floor of it we'll be on.

I've never been to New York before so having no experience on their main method of public transportation, the subway ride to the Columbia campus from Grand Central felt like a complete blur.

Since the second Cindy and I were reunited, it seemed that she only had one goal in mind: getting me into her room as soon as humanly possible.

Due to so many factors that led to us being reunited like this, the door closing shut behind us felt like a blessing. My overnight bag quickly dropped in the middle of the floor along with her purse and coat.

While in a deep kiss, Cindy guided me over to what I assumed is her side of the room.

"You're not going to give me a tour?" I mumbled as we worked on removing my MIT hooded sweatshirt. Given the way I asked it though, I hoped she could tell that I wasn't very interested in one at the moment.

"Mmm, later." She spoke as my lips went to her neck.

To assist Cindy, I easily lifted her onto her bed where our kiss became more hasty and aggressive.

"Ohhhh, I've missed you." I moaned as she sucked on that spot under my chin that she knew I would like. I retaliated by pressing into her and shifting my hand to try to unzip her skinny jeans.

Within moments, our clothing was removed, leaving us just down to our underwear.

Knowing that today was a special occasion, she must have chosen hers well. Once I saw the red lace she had on, I knew it was the same pair she, supposedly, had on the night we had phone sex. "Now this looks familiar."

She let out a light laugh, probably at the fact that I noticed it.

"I thought it would…motivate you to do what you said you would over the phone that night."

"Always so smart." I leaned in and kissed her shoulder, close to the strap of the matching bra, which I was just itching to take off as well.

Just as I started reaching for it and before I could do much else, she managed to turn us both around. In the same movement, she straddled me and sat up. I somehow ended up propped on her pillows as she leaned in to kiss me.

It only lasted for a few seconds and when she pulled away, I saw that she had taken off her bra.

"You miss this?" She spoke softly, with her head tilted to the side.

"Fuck yeah." I replied with a hand on her hip.

"I missed this too." Another kiss. "A lot." She kissed my neck. "I'm so happy-" Another one right where my heart is. "-you're here." Cindy created a trail down my sternum as her fingers gently pulled down the waistband of my boxers.

"Cin…." I let out breathlessly.

"Relax, okay?" She glanced up at me, probably thinking that I was going to stop her. "I know you've had a long journey to get here and you're excited to see me. So I just want to make you feel good." She explained even though I didn't need one. Cindy tugged down the elastic enough so that I sprang free. With a slight smirk that I don't think I was supposed to have seen, she lowered her head onto me.

In a manner I could never forget, Cindy bopped her head up and down, taking soft licks.

"Yesss." I groaned as she took me into her warm mouth. "Ohhh, shit..." I gently gripped onto her blond tresses and moved her head a bit, not to signal her, but because I know how much she likes that.

Seconds later, she reached for my balls, taking care of them as well.

"Cindy…. _fuck_..." I let out as I released her hair, knowing I wouldn't last much longer. Sensing it too, she looked up and we made eye contact, her lashes long, eyes bright, and her mouth still fully wrapped around me.

And dammit, if it wasn't the hottest thing I had ever seen….

I came immediately into her waiting mouth and watched as she swallowed.

"Come here." I lifted her towards me by her chin and our lips crashed instantly. In a quick move, I had us back to our previously position and her muttering my name as I kissed down her chest and brought my mouth around her breast.

"Ahhh…." Hearing the reaction I will never get tired of, I slid my hands down her body and worked on removing her underwear. Her breath grew even heavier and she let out a moan as a slipped a finger inside her.

"Oh fuck. I just want you inside me already." She spoke. With my face buried in the space between her breasts, I smiled and decided to indulge her.

I positioned myself and pushed into her, hearing the elated cry from her lips.

Due to how tight she was and with how long it had last been since we were like this, I didn't know how much longer I would be able to last.

"Oh…. God…." Cindy moaned. I started moving slowly, trying to get back into our usual pattern.

Reveling in the sounds she was making and the movement of her body, I thrust in and out of her. Not being able to hold back, I took her leg and hooked it around my waist, pressing our bodies closer together. The small smile she gave me was all I needed to increase my pace, something she noticed right away.

I took her hands and moved them above her head. With one of my own, I was able to grip them both at her wrists, pinning her down. She let out all the right moans as I pounded into her and I knew she was close.

When she let out a final scream, I loosened my grasp of her hands and held onto her waist, bringing out my own release.

As I took a few seconds to catch my breath, I began to pull out of her, a move that was halted when she brought her leg back around me again, holding me in place, and brought my face to hers to kiss me again.

* * *

 **Cindy's POV**

"Statue of Liberty?"

"Too touristy."

"Times Square?"

"Too crowded."

"Empire State Building?"

"Too high. It's actually really scary from up there." Since it wouldn't be smart, albeit a good idea, for us to stay in bed together all weekend, we were trying to think of something to do. Of course, New York City has no shortages of activities but since they were innumerable, and I've already had experience with some when I first arrived, we couldn't agree on where to start.

"You've dealt with alien creatures capable of taking over the world, traveled to other dimensions, and gone to outer space on a Retroland ride but the height of the Empire State Building scares you?"

"You haven't seen it, so you really aren't one to talk." I spoke back to him. "Besides, I wasn't scared of any of that stuff because I was with you." I leaned in to kiss his bare chest, once again indulging in how close he was. "But yeah, we'll get to do all that stuff if you want. I just don't want to do anything that will take up too much time. Our reservation is at seven and I do not want to be late."

I shifted so that I could get out of bed from my angle. When Jimmy stretched his arms and let out a groan to match the action, I spoke again.

"I feel like I've been a terrible hostess." I said as I climbed out of bed, found his T-shirt, and put it on. "If you're thirsty, there's some beer in the fridge." I nodded in the direction of it so he could see where I meant.

"You- you just keep that in here?" The concern in his voice didn't go unnoticed.

"We're not supposed to since we're freshmen but what the RA doesn't know won't hurt her." I finished with a small smile.

"Do you have someone buy it for you?"

"No. Sonya and I get it." I said casually. I reached for my purse that was still on the floor, took out a card from my wallet, and handed it to Jimmy. "See?"

"Is this for real?" He said out of surprise after a few seconds of looking at the photo I.D. that stated I was born three years earlier than I actually was.

"If by for real, you mean fake, then yes." I replied cautiously.

I debated showing it to Jimmy for the same reason I didn't want to tell him about the beer in my minifridge. I didn't know what he would think.

Having a fake ID was all part of the change that I've been going through that I didn't want him to find out. Of course, it was easier to hide it when we were hundreds of miles apart and I wasn't seeing him for months on end. But ever since we made plans for him to come, I realized that I would have to open up about it. He was going to find out sooner or later, and no matter how, I would rather it be from me than anyone -or anyway- else.

" _You_ have a fake ID?" He asked as if the evidence wasn't right there in his hands.

There was something in his tone that didn't sit right with me. I sure wasn't expecting him to be impressed by it, but I also didn't imagine that he would get, as it appears, angry.

"Yeah." I shrugged. "It's kind of a thing around here." Which it is. "Just makes everything easier, you know?"

"Makes what easier?" He asked in a similar tone even though I just explained.

"Just… hanging out and…stuff. It makes it easier." I still continued to speak calmly even though I was feeling anything but. "You know, you're asking a lot of questions."

"Which I think I should know the answers to." And that, for some reason, grasped my attention more than anything else.

"No, you shouldn't." I turned and looked right at him. "You're not my father and you really need to calm down." He looked at me, surprised that I was speaking to him like this since I've never had a reason to do it before. "This is not a big deal. You can't tell me you haven't gone partying or drinking in the time you've been at school."

"Not as much as you, apparently."

I stared at him in disbelief that he actually said that.

"Okay. I'm done talking about this." I put on my slippers as I prepared to leave the room. "There's Red Bull and water in there too. I'm going to the bathroom. When I get back, we'll go get lunch and I'll show you around campus. Sound good?"

"Yes, fine."

I nodded and quickly made my way out of the room.

* * *

Honestly, apart from a couple of events, I didn't give much thought to how I wanted my weekend with Jimmy to pan out. But I was certainly hoping we would not be fighting.

Since we were trying to coordinate a visit, there hasn't really been much work in the department of working on the difficulties of this long distance relationship. I suppose that the way we saw it, a visit would be able to solve any existing complications. How we went about doing it, however, is what seems to have brought up our argument.

Jimmy didn't mention the fake ID issue anymore as we were going through campus hand in hand and I sure am glad that he didn't. He undoubtedly has many questions which I was willing to answer as long as he didn't use the condescending tone he had before. While I can understand the surprise, it doesn't mean he had to be so authoritative about it.

Enough time had passed though, that we both seemed to be over it.

After showing him around campus and a little bit of the surrounding neighborhood, we headed back to my room. We still had a couple of hours left before we had to leave for dinner. The free time resulted in us ending up in a naked, sweaty mess and ultimately having to sneakily take a shower together. To save time of course.

While I didn't want to go too all out, since having dinner together is not completely new to us, I still did want to dress up. Considering the date and the occasion, it also made sense. Jimmy, apparently, had the same idea. When we emerged from my room, we definitely looked like we were ready to celebrate something momentous.

As I entwined my fingers with his while we were leaving the room, I noticed a familiar face in the hallway. Since I was with Jimmy, I would have tried to avoid him, but he had already seen me.

"Oh, hi Sam." I spoke cautiously, trying to keep this unexpected encounter as casual as possible.

"Hey." He replied in his eternally friendly manner. With the immediate glance he gave to Jimmy, he noticed that I wasn't alone. "Ahhh, so this is the boyfriend." He wasn't asking it even though I've never told him enough about Jimmy for him to be so confident in his assumption. Given how we were dressed and the fact that we both came out from my room, anybody could put two and two together.

"Yeah. Umm," I started somewhat nervously. "Jimmy, this is Sam." I gave a halfhearted gesture towards him as I spoke. "He lives a couple rooms down. And Sam, this is my boyfriend Jimmy. He's visiting for the weekend," I clarified as if I needed to.

"It's nice to meet you." Jimmy surprised me by saying it first.

"You as well." Sam nodded. "You two heading out?" He looked at Jimmy and then me, as if I'm the one that's supposed to confirm.

I nodded in reply.

"We have reservations for this Italian place in Chelsea." I spoke as I leaned into Jimmy, suddenly feeling a lot more at ease.

"Sounds real romantic." Sam gave a curt nod of approval. "Well, I won't keep you two any longer. Have a nice night and good to meet you Jimmy." He sent us off with a smile, which I thought looked sincere.

"Thanks. You too."

"Thank you."

Sam turned the knob and walked into his room as Jimmy and I headed towards the elevator.

"So… who was that?" He faced me and asked once we were moving downwards.

"The guy that lives a couple doors down. I just said that."

"He seems nice." Jimmy looked forward again and replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah." I hoped he would leave it at that.

"You've never mentioned him." _Here we go._

"I guess he just… hasn't come up. I wouldn't say we're close."

"Close enough to know you have a boyfriend." The elevator door opened and Jimmy walked out briskly, like if he had the last word. I caught up to him and turned to face him.

"I haven't told you about him because there really isn't any need." I started to explain, even though I know I didn't have to. "I told him I have a boyfriend so that he knows his place and that should be enough. We really aren't that close. In case you didn't realize, I didn't tell him you would be here this weekend."

"That really doesn't make me feel any better."

"Well, that's too-" I stopped, gathering my thoughts. "Look, I- I don't want to argue with you. You came all this way and we haven't seen each other in so long…." I trailed off, hoping he understood. "I know there's going to be a lot of things to discuss about what's been going on with us and that we may not always agree or be okay with it. But can we just- try to stay civil?"

"Of course." He took my hand in his. "I've wanted to say something about that too. We don't have much time left together for now and we likely won't see each other until the summer. I don't think either one of us would prefer to spend the next 20-something hours at each other's throats."

"Exactly. Our time is far too valuable for that." Since I was in heels, I didn't have to stretch so high up to be able to kiss him. "Now let's go. We don't want to miss the train." He groaned at hearing our method of transport even though he's known that's how we'll be getting to the restaurant. "You don't like the subway?" I grinned, already knowing the answer.

"I'd much rather travel over the ground via the hovercar than under it any day." We laughed together as we made our way out of the building.

* * *

Even with how crowded the place was, everything seems to be moving smoothly and at an orderly pace. We arrived at the restaurant with minutes to spare and, thanks to our prompt arrival, we were seated quickly.

Once we placed our orders and our waiter filled our glasses with sparkling cider, Jimmy spoke.

"I'm sorry for getting so…worked up today. It's just- all this has… it's been difficult, you know?"

"Yeah, I do." I agreed. "But we are here now with each other and that's all that matters." He nodded. "So let's just put everything to the side and be here right now, okay?"

"Absolutely." He reached for my hand and took it in his. "I love you so much."

I broke out into a smile, so grateful for this moment and this amazing man in front of me.

"I love you too." I gently squeezed his hand. "I'm really glad we at least got to spend this day together."

"It is our first one." He acknowledged and I realized that it actually is a big deal. "There's truly no one and nowhere I'd rather spend it with than you, wherever you may be." He picked up his glass and held it out in my direction. "Happy Valentine's Day Cindy."

"Happy Valentine's Day Jimmy."

 **So yeah….**

 **I didn't want to make this overly cheesy (since that's never really been my style), but since it all seemed to coordinate, I really couldn't help making their reunion take place on Valentine's Day. (Although I still think the ending is pretty cheesy.) It also isn't really in** _ **their**_ **style to come out and say it which is why I left, admittingly VERY subtle, hints throughout both chapters as to when exactly this takes place. If you were able to figure it out prior to the ending of this chapter, let me know. But don't feel bad if you didn't.**

 **Thank you all for reading! Please leave a review if possible!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I am very, very sorry for the wait. But hey, for those of you that have been here with me since the beginning, you know you've waited longer. Thanks so much for the love the past couple of chapters! I hope you guys enjoy this one!**

 **THREE MONTHS LATER**

 **Jimmy's POV**

"So you _have_ done it before?"

"Well, I mean," she started. "I had to have a way of… finishing back when we weren't doing it." I turned with a huge grin on my face.

"Seriously? You really did?"

"Yeah." Cindy nodded. "We only went so far and it's not like the hormones stopped when we did. When I had to, I'd just… take care of myself." She ended with a shrug.

"So whenever we were fooling around down here, you would go home after and get yourself off?"

"It wasn't every time and it wasn't immediately after. Don't flatter yourself. But on several occasions, yes."

"Damn." I chuckled. "I had no clue."

"What can I say?" She lifted herself up on her forearm, the sheet sliding slightly down her body, and faced me. "Even though I didn't want to admit it, you somehow always had me thinking about you." She leaned in to kiss me then, one that didn't last very long since her exhaustion pulled her away. "Did I mention how great it is that you put a bed down here?"

"No, but I can't believe the idea didn't occur to me earlier. I could have spent all those late nights on this instead of the couch and easily keep an eye on all the experiments I still had running."

With a playful pout, she looked at me

"Oh, so you didn't do it because of me?"

"I suppose that is a bonus." We smiled at each other as we laid back down on the new bed I had built in the lab. It wasn't anything overly glamorous. A full-size bed with some spare sheets, an extra comforter I found in my closet, and a couple of pillows made it up. Despite being pushed against a corner of the lab, it still looked out of place, but since I only have a limited use for it anyway, that factor wasn't going to be much of a concern.

My girlfriend's constant presence however, did provide another good reason for having it.

She let out a sigh, thankful for being able to rest.

"Still tired?" I asked.

"Yup." I noticed that she did not answer sarcastically. "Why is it that the move back home from freshman year is much more tiring than going into it?"

"Probably because all the eagerness and excitement for it to start is the exact opposite of how it feels when it ends."

"Hmm."

I've been back for a few days, so I can't really complain about being tired when I've been getting plenty of long awaited good night sleeps. For now, the same can't be said for Cindy.

It sounds crazy, but a mere 24 hours ago, Cindy was still in New York, making sure she had completely cleared out her dorm before returning her key and officially being done with freshman year. Sonya, whose finals were apparently held early on in their exam week, was able to leave two days before she was.

Her flight home wasn't until seven at night. As much as I would have loved to see her right away, I knew it would be better for her parents to be the ones getting her from the airport. Naturally, by the time she arrived at her own home at nearly one in the morning, she was exhausted.

While her sleeping in would have been perfectly understandable, not to mention well-deserved, she managed to get up and come over to the lab this morning, an act that, since I was so excited to see her, I was quite happy about.

And if what we've been up to for the past few hours says anything, she was excited to see me too.

"So are you ready for this weekend?" She asked me.

"Kind of. More nervous than anything else. It _is_ the first time the town actually asks me to use my inventions for amusement."

This year is the 100th anniversary of Retroville's founding and this weekend, we're having a city-wide festival to celebrate. To kick things off, there's going to be a parade on Saturday morning featuring one hundred participants. While that thought alone is enough to make me want to pass, my role in it, not to toot my own horn, makes it an event that is not to be missed.

The town council reached out to me a few months ago and asked if I would be able to assist them in the technical and electronical aspects of the event. It's not so much that they wouldn't be able to do it, just that with my help, it would run a lot smoother.

They requested a lot of state-of-the-art stuff, including some things that I, lucky for them, have already mastered long ago.

It included aspects such as high definition projections so videos could play on the most prominent floats as they were moving. There was also finding a way to eliminate excess wiring for light and audio equipment on the main stage for performances and coming up with an effective and hygienic way to remove the inevitable trash buildup for the weekend. In short, they wanted me to help modern it up, which is somewhat ironic, considering what's being celebrated.

What I was most eager about, however, was the fireworks show on Sunday night displaying town highlights from the past 100 years. It was, I can honestly say, the most grueling part of it all. But with how confident I am that it will be a success, the effort seems to be worth it.

I don't even know how I managed to be in charge of this while staying on top of my schoolwork, especially being half a country away.

But they don't call me a genius for nothing.

"It's going to be great." Cindy spoke as she reached out and squeezed my hand in support. "Just, you know, don't blow anything up." At that, I cocked an eyebrow.

I knew that no matter how much I meant it, there's always a possibility I wouldn't be able to keep that promise.

* * *

The days and hours leading up to the parade's kickoff seemed endless. In the time I've been home, it seemed like I was working day and night to get this perfected. I knew that, as a whole, this was one of the most intensive and, dare I say, passionate experiments I've ever done. It was not hard to figure out why.

I know that I've still got a lot to make up for all the chaos I caused as a kid, so if doing this works in my favor in any way, it has to go flawlessly.

Finally, it was Saturday morning and by the time the parade started at ten AM, I felt that I had already been awake for more hours than there were in the day. I was on high alert all morning and was only able to calm down when the final float passed the end of the parade route. It had all gone as best it could possibly go and while I was grateful for it, Cindy finding me shortly after the parade ended with a smile on her face and congratulating me was so worthwhile.

She wasn't the only person praising me either. As we walked up main street, looking through all the attractions and vendors, many people, some I recognized but some I didn't, came up to me and shook my hand or complimented me or something of that variety.

After a few times, Cindy grinned and I knew she did it in a way that would make it impossible for me to ignore.

"What?" I asked her with a smile of my own.

"You're so popular now."

I shrugged, not wanting her to think I'd let it get to my head.

"It's better than how it was before. With everyone hating me."

"No one _hated_ you, Jimmy. You were just… being yourself. You weren't exactly very easy to handle back in the day. Besides," she leaned in closer to me, "you're much too smart for this town anyway."

"Don't I know it."

* * *

 **Cindy's POV**

I don't know why, but I was expecting essentially that reaction from him.

Jimmy smugly said it immediately after I spoke, probably barely processing my words and only heard the compliment.

Except I do know why.

When he first told me about this opportunity the town was providing him with, I thought it was great.

For the most part, his experiments were all a private matter and mostly used to his own benefit. As many people know, some of the times he tried to use them to help others, it didn't go very smoothly.

In time, he caused a lot of damage, and not just in a physical way. He got himself quite a reputation, one that, at some point, he would have wanted desperately to get rid of.

I thought back to what my dad had said about Jimmy when we had Liam over for dinner over a year ago. Even though Jimmy's role in my life has changed dramatically since then, my dad isn't really the kind of guy to let things go. So even though he never mentioned it to his face, I knew that he, along with many other townspeople, still considered Jimmy to be somewhat of a nuisance.

So naturally he took on this unprecedented chance to change his image in the community for the better.

Unfortunately, Jimmy took what should have been a humbling experience and turned it into everything but. He's become, for lack of a better word, arrogant. Admittingly, it's very much how he used to be as a kid. Only now, as an adult, it's not quite as bearable.

And because this was all about him, there was very little room for me in it.

Obviously, I want Jimmy to be happy. That's always been much easier said than done. So being the supportive and loving girlfriend can take its toll when it doesn't even seem to be noticed. No matter how much I try to ignore it, that's how I've been feeling every day since I got back from school.

"Hey," I spoke as I reached for this hand. "So this is nice and all but now that that parade is over, do you want to maybe head over to my place? My parents are here at the carnival too but they have some errands to run after so they won't be home for hours," I smiled up at him, fully aware of how blunt I was being.

"Oh, umm, maybe later. They're going to make speeches thanking all the people involved over at the main stage in a bit. I was going to ask if you wanted to go over there."

 _Is he serious?_

"Actually, I-I think I'll just go home," I decided. "I'm feeling kind of tired."

Jimmy gave me a quizzical look.

"You were just suggesting that we go back to your house together and now just want to rest?"

Well, at least he caught that.

"Yeah, is that a problem?" I asked, not meaning for it to sound so ill-tempered.

"Are you angry with me or something?"

"No, of course not."

"You are," he immediately accused. "You always get like this when you're mad."

"'Get like' what exactly?" I crossed my arms as I spoke. He opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it, likely because he also noticed the small group of people looking over at us. Approaching me and putting his hand gently on my back, he guided me off the main road where all the booths and vendors were to one of the side streets and away from the crowd.

"What is going on with you?" He demanded to know.

"With me? I'm not the one going around acting like an egotistical jackass."

"Excuse me?!"

"You-," I shuddered out a breath, not believing I was actually going to have this conversation. "Do you really not see how you've been acting?"

"What do you mean?"

"Jimmy, it's nice that they let you do this, but all you've done is talk about it and how you've done such a great job."

"And I'm not allowed to be proud of myself and all the hard work I've put in?"

"Really? So you don't remember that your HD projector was based off one that I helped you with when they asked us to assist in the eighth grade art fair? Or that your garbage disposal machine is a larger scale of what you invented when I suggested you find a better way to have Goddard go to the bathroom?" All that was essentially true, not that Jimmy seemed to realize it until now. "I may not be a super genius as you consistently remind everyone you are but don't go giving yourself all the credit."

"So you want me to thank you? Is that all?" Jimmy practically yelled.

"At least that would get me some kind of attention from you."

"What are you talking about? We've been together every day since you got home!"

"Yeah, to do all of this!" I gestured back in the direction of the event. "That's all you've been focused on. Don't you get it?" His features softened and I knew it was because of the quiver in my voice. "I-I just wanted to spend time with you. This is the first summer that we'll be able to be together. I-." My eyes were starting to well up, no matter how much I tried to hold it in. "I thought you would want the same."

"Cin-."

"No, just…." I held up a hand to stop him from getting closer. "I'm going to go home. This is important to you, so go ahead and indulge in it all you want. Maybe I'll call you later and we can meet up. Okay?" I wasn't sure if I was serious or not about that last part.

"Alright, fine." The words sounded harsh although his voice was gentle. "If that's what you want."

I didn't say another word as I turned away from him and shook my head.

 **Phew. Get ready because the next chapter will be intense. I normally don't tell you what to expect ahead of time, but I'm making an exception and telling you that the next chapter will be their one year anniversary…. Sort of. I've had it planned out for a while so I, for one, am really excited. Hope you are too. Please leave a review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I didn't plan to have this up so soon. Given the holiday season and the content of this chapter I didn't think it was emotionally appropriate. But it was done, and I didn't want to keep you waiting too long.**

 **The next two chapters are going to be taking place out of order…. But it'll make sense why once you read. Italics are flashbacks and please pay attention to when they do and don't appear.**

 **TWO MONTHS LATER**

 **Cindy's POV**

"So how long do we have to wait?" Jimmy asked from where he was sitting on the floor.

"It says three minutes," I replied solemnly as I joined him on the cold bathroom tile.

He immediately reached for my hand but for a few seconds, neither one of us said anything.

"Oh, God," I breathed as I looked straight ahead at Jimmy's towel rack. "I can't believe this is happening," I finished with panic in my voice.

"It's fine," he squeezed my hand and turned to me. "It's going to be okay."

 _I opened my eyes._

 _It was lush. And green. It looked exactly the same as we left it. At first, I wondered if it even was the same place and not just a hologram or some sort of replicate._

 _But I just knew that it wasn't. We were here. Really._

 _The island._

" _How….?" I trailed off while looking at our surroundings, not being able to finish my question._

" _It wasn't easy," he started to explain. "I had to find the old hard drive from before I did all the upgrades to the hovercar and then go back far enough to find the coordinates. Luckily, they were saved even though we hadn't planned to land here…. What do you think?"_

 _At that, I turned to him and threw my arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss._

"How could I have been so stupid?"

"It's not your fault Cindy. You were just… momentarily distracted. It could have happened to anyone."

"But this! Something like this…." I put my face in my hands. "It's not like I accidentally locked myself out of my car. I…." The sobs were uncontrollable then and Jimmy pulled me closer and in a tight embrace.

 _I don't know when and how he did it, but there was a new treehouse built. It was similar to the ones we -primarily Jimmy- made on our first visit except there was only one. And only one was needed._

 _I had so many questions, all of them starting with "when" or "how". He's had so much going on lately. And how long he had been planning to do all this?_

 _Like our original treehouses, it was essentially just a place to provide shelter and a place to sleep. We were only staying for a couple of days after all. Internally it looked, in many ways, like the master bedroom of a suite in one of those pricey beach resorts. The exception being that we were unprecedently left entirely alone. No one else but us on the island where we had once made so many memories._

Not wanting to ruin his shirt, I sat back up and ran my hand through my hair, trying to calm down.

"Are you sure you… did it right?" Jimmy gestured to the toilet as if I didn't already know what he meant.

"You pee on a stick and wait a few minutes. You don't need to have your IQ to figure it out," I snapped.

"I meant-" he started and didn't seem to get upset by my tone, "are you sure about when you should have taken it or whatever? Maybe you're doing it too early?"

"It's been a month since the trip and my period is late. I don't have any other symptoms but…we need to be sure, you know?"

"Yeah," he reached for my hand again. "I know."

 _Clutching onto his hair, I felt his fingers running along the lace of my underwear and shortly after, slipped them underneath. I released a muffled moan as he pushed one of his fingers into me. A couple of strokes later caused him to put in another one._

 _At that, he began kissing a line down my chest, pausing to focus a bit on each one of my breasts. He worked on removing my panties as his kisses got lower and I quickly found myself kicking them away._

" _Fuck…. Yeah."_

 _I felt him go over all the spots I like. Not wanting to get ahead of myself, I didn't guide him, since he knew -he always knew- exactly what to do._

" _Cin…." He spoke softly. "You taste_ so _good…" Knowing what that kind of talk does to me, I gripped the comforter._

 _Licks and soft kisses followed and I threw my head back while letting out a much-too-eager cry. It was all, for probably many reasons, too intense, too quickly. His tongue touching my bundle of nerves and adding a light suction to it is what ended up sending me over the edge._

" _Ohh! God…!" Not a second passed before he came back up to kiss me and I was able to taste myself._

"Would you marry me?" I spoke with my voice tense yet confident. "If it's… you know?"

I had been thinking of asking him for some time now. I guess, internally, I knew this would someday be a concern. After all, one case of bad luck is all it takes, regardless of how safe you're being.

Back when we were just screwing each other with no feelings, if it had happened, as much as I hate to say it, I wouldn't have expected much for him. I didn't like to think about that possibility at all though, which resulted in me being the most cautious I've ever been. I refused to have sex with him without protection, the pull-out method not being an option. Having always been very conscience of my cycle, I knew exactly which days would be more secure than others. And fortunately, he always took 'no' for an answer.

When we started dating, however, it was a different story. I didn't let up on how safe we were going to be, although me being on the pill helped tremendously with that. I did know, that if it were to happen, I could count on him. To be there. For us.

But I never told him any of that.

"Do-," he started but I could already hear the uncertainty in his tone. "Do you really think that would be necessary?" I narrowed my eyes at him, and he took it as a chance to speak before I could. "I just meant… well… we wouldn't _have_ to get married."

"You'd be the father of my child. Of course we'd have to get married," I explained like there was no other solution.

"That's a pretty twentieth century way of thinking, don't you agree?" I blinked at him.

"So what would be your plan then? If you don't want to marry me?"

"I didn't say-." He paused, knowing better than to start an argument right now. "We would just… have to get jobs. Move back here, I guess."

"'Back here?' What about school?"

"Do you really think you'd be able to focus on school when you have a human growing inside of you?"

"What, you think I wouldn't be able to do it?"

"That's not what I'm saying Cindy! Wha- why do you keep turning my words on me?"

"And what would you expect? For us to live here?" I gestured around us, ignoring his question. "In the lab, maybe?"

" _Best. Anniversary. Ever." I said with a wide smile despite being completely out of breath after so many rounds. We've been here long enough that the sun was already starting to set._

" _Glad you think so." Jimmy turned to me and grinned._

" _I don't know how you do it, but you manage to surprise me every time." I spoke as I moved in closer to him._

" _You're worth it. Every bit." He leaned in to kiss me just as a familiar beeping sound erupted from my phone across the room._

" _Who is calling you right now?" Jimmy groaned as I got up out of bed to answer it. "Don't they know you're on vacation?"_

" _It's not a call. It's an alarm. For my pill." I explained as I unzipped my bag and shut the sound off. I moved my hand around, reaching for the pocket where I usually store the pills for an overnight trip. I couldn't feel it so I searched in one of the sleeves instead._

 _Unable to find it, I looked in the mesh pockets on the sides of my bag where all I found was a packet of gum. Still looking frantically, I spoke my fear out loud._

" _It's not here." Not giving up, I started removing the contents of my bag deciding to do a more through hunt._

" _What do you mean?" I heard Jimmy across the way, not sounding nearly as concerned as I was._

" _My birth control. It's- it's not here."_

" _What? No. It has to be." I felt Jimmy walk up behind me. By then, I had taken everything out and shook my bag upside down to get every little thing out. "You sure you didn't bring another bag…?"_

" _I-I had it in my hand yesterday. I was going to take it last night and then pack it. But then-." I stood frozen to my spot as I remembered._

" _What, Cindy? What is it?"_

" _My mom- she called me to go downstairs and I didn't take the pill. I went to bed without taking it and forgot to pack it. It- it's sitting on my dresser at h- oh my God," I ended with a sob as I realized what had happened. Jimmy rushed to embrace me as he noticed it too._

"I don't really know what we would do. I've honestly never given it a thought." I scoffed. "But I don't get why you're so angry with me." He turned to me defensively. "I'm not the one that forgot your birth control!"

"You don't think I feel bad enough for that?!" I nearly shouted. "I- we were always so careful! And now-."

Before I could finish my statement, my phone, which was placed on the floor between Jimmy and I, beeped continuously, indicating the end of the three-minute wait.

" _It's okay. Cin, it's okay." He held me tightly, running his fingers through my hair in consolation. It was a position we had been in for a few minutes. "Do you want to leave? We'll go right now if you want."_

" _I-I don't know," I started with a shudder. "I don't want to leave all this. You planned it out so nicely. But I just, I can't be okay knowing that I don't have it and that I've already missed a couple of doses, especially because it's a new pack." He looked at me sympathetically but with a slight fear in his eyes. I thought it over for a couple of more seconds. "Let's- let's just try to stay and enjoy our weekend together." Even though our predicament is my fault, I didn't want it to ruin our entire trip._

" _Are you sure?" I could tell by his tone he was surprised I was making that decision._

" _Yes, I'll-I'll be fine. I'll let you know if I want to go back."_

 _So we gave that idea a shot._

 _But because I couldn't let go of it and hated how much it loomed over my head, I asked if we could go back home earlier than planned. We were loading up the hovercar and in the air by early afternoon the next day._

Instead of picking up the thin white plastic right away, I held up the box in came in from the bathroom counter.

"Two lines, yes. One line, no. Two lines, yes. One line, no." I recited the instructions I read earlier as if it was a chant. Like if I said it repeatedly, I could get the result that I wanted. Jimmy warily looked at me and I could tell he didn't know what to say. "Can you read it too?" I asked. "I just want to make sure I'm reading it right."

"Yeah," he replied as he took the box from my shaking hands. "'Two lines will appear on a positive result. One line will appear on a negative result,'" he read out loud directly from the instructions.

I nodded, knowing that I hadn't misread it in all my paranoia.

Closing my eyes, I took the test carefully in my hand. With a deep breath, I opened my eyes and looked down to it.

And there was one line.

 **WHOA. That ended up being a lot more dramatic than I envisioned when I was planning it out. Take a deep breath guys, because we're in the clear. Seriously, we are.**

 **The next chapter will feature the actual anniversary trip in Jimmy's POV, meaning we are going to go** _ **backwards**_ **a month. It seems weird to have it out of order, but I think having it this way will give both chapters some depth, especially because we know the outcome of the trip first. Hopefully, it pans out like that though. Thank you all so much for reading and please review! Follow me on Twitter (D13Tribute) if you can and also…. have a very happy new year!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you all so much for your reviews on the previous chapter. This one will be a little lighter in tone, even though THAT subject is still present at the end. Hopefully, this isn't confusing but remember, this takes place a month BEFORE the events of the last chapter. Also: MAJOR smut warning…. Enjoy!**

 **ONE MONTH AGO**

 **Jimmy's POV**

"Pack lightly."

It was the only instruction -and hint- I had given her regarding where we were going. Knowing her, she would be able to figure out what exactly I meant by that. I hoped, since I couldn't directly tell her, that she would know to bring that controversial bikini she had on our first day in Cancun.

Since we were going to be all alone this time, it would be a lot more appropriate.

I really hoped she would be surprised by what I had planned. With Cindy, you can never be too sure.

It's something I've been planning for months though I've been thinking about it since shortly after we got together. There really was no better way for us to observe our one year anniversary than with a trip back to the island.

But making it possible was a lot more difficult than I originally thought.

Having made so many upgrades to the hover car in recent years, I had to find the hard drive I was using at that time and then find the proper coordinates. Since the island was never our intended destination, I didn't think I would be able to find them. Even after doing so there was no one hundred percent guarantee that it was the place I was looking for. So I had to set out and check it out for myself. This time, with enough fuel for a return trip.

The weeks long quest of setting everything up, however, was the trickier part.

It took much longer than I care to admit but I finally got the Nanobots up and running again. Our last encounter all those years ago didn't go too well, so I had to make sure that they didn't remember it and that it wouldn't happen again.

This time around, they were made to be much more obedient and lucky for me, it succeeded. The constant threat that I could destroy them with the push of a button surely helped in keeping them in line.

Part of my modifications to the Nanobots involved making them larger and extendable so that they were able to reach trees and collect for fresh food for us. More importantly, they built the treehouse and the stairs that led up to it. This time, our shelter was placed between two trees, making for a stronger foundation.

As they were doing that, I worked on the amenities portions. Anything I needed, I put into the Hybercube. It was an easy enough task, yet one that had to be done correctly since I would only have time for one more trip before bringing Cindy. When I left the island for the second time, I had everything set and ready to go for when I would return with her. The Nanobots were put into hibernation mode and stored away.

In all, it was a lot of work, more than I had anticipated. But I wouldn't take it back. Cindy is so worth it.

Now here she stood, blindfolded and unknowingly standing in front of the place where our childhood relationship blossomed into something unforgettable.

"Are you ready now?" I could hear the impatience in her voice. "This is getting kind of annoying, you know."

"I'm going to untie it but keep your eyes closed. I want to see your face when you see it."

"Fine," she huffed. I moved to untie the knot behind her head and removed the cloth once it was loose. I saw her raise her eyebrows, questioning if now was finally time.

"Okay, open," I instructed.

After the few seconds it took her to take in her surroundings, she spoke.

"How…?" She trailed off and I grinned at the fact that she recognized where we were and that it left her speechless.

"It wasn't easy," I explained. "I had to find the old hard drive from before I did all the upgrades to the hovercar and then go back far enough to find the coordinates. Luckily, they were saved even though we hadn't planned to land here…. What do you think?"

I never got a verbal answer, since she reacted by looping her arms around my neck and kissing me.

"I take it that means you like it?" I smiled as I pulled away. Without another word, she took my hand and dragged me in the direction of the treehouse.

We kissed all along the way and up the stairs until we made it to the entrance. Pulling away, she pushed the door open.

"Oh, Jimmy…." She spoke as she looked around the spacious room.

At the far end, there was a large bed with all its sheets and pillows, dark blue with white trimmings. Against one wall, there was a dresser and mirror that we were meant to share. Also along that wall was a sliding door that led to the bathroom. It was one of three doors in the room, not including the one we had come in from.

There was a very small kitchenette area separated by a door to our right. The last, located almost directly in front of us, led to the balcony overlooking the ocean. It was, architecture wise, my favorite part about the whole project.

"Happy anniversary," I whispered into her ear as my hands slid around her waist.

"You did all this for me?"

"Of course," I smiled as I faced her. "Who else?" Instead of replying, she took my face in her hands and kissed me. At that moment, it was both an expression of love and of gratitude.

I pulled her closer as our kiss deepened and she let out a moan. Not being able to contain myself, I lifted her up, which broke our kiss momentarily. She giggled in response as she wrapped her legs around my waist to support herself.

Gently, I walked us over to our bed and placed her down on it, kissing her again as her fingers ran through my hair and my hand was on her waist. Our mouths opened simultaneously as our kiss grow more eager and left both of us needing and wanting more. It reminded me so much of our make-out sessions back when we were friends with benefits, having to do it down in the lab or only in places that were private and secure. This time though, there were no limitations.

"I love you," Cindy sighed as I slightly pulled away.

"I love you too. So much," I replied as I looked into her eyes. "You mean everything to me." She smiled wide one, full of appreciation.

"I don't know what I did to get so lucky," she spoke. I touched my forehead to hers.

"Ditto."

With nothing and no one to stop us, we continued, the only sound being our scattered heavy breaths and the crashing waves outside. Soon enough, we were naked and her back arched as she cried out her pleasure while my face was buried between her legs. I kissed her again, her juices still on my lips and the taste moved onto hers.

She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me closer. I moved my lips to her neck and sucked on her favorite spot.

"Ahhh…." She called out as my hand trailed down her body, stopping on the edge of her backside. I heard her moan at the contact and I smiled against her skin.

"Turn around," I muttered into her ear, "and get on your hands and knees." Not allowing her a chance to say anything, I moved off her so she could do what I said. If I had any doubt that she heard me, the smirk on her face told me otherwise.

Obliging me, she moved, making sure to tease me with every curve of her body as she went.

Once she was in position, the view in front of me was one I never got tired of seeing.

I leaned forward, touching her soft skin and draping myself over her. She shuddered out a breath as I kissed a line down her back.

"God, you're perfect," I whispered, not sure if she could even hear me. "You're so fucking beautiful, baby."

"Ohhh, fuck…."

Not wanting to waste any more time, I lined myself up and gripped onto her hips, finally pushing into her heat.

For the next few moments, the only sounds in the room were of us indulging in the pleasure. I slid in and out of her in an almost careful pace, wanting to make sure she felt all of me and that I was enveloped in her warmth each time.

"Go harder," she moaned.

Not needing to be told twice, I held on tighter and gradually thrust into her more forcibly, resulting in a way we were both used to. The sounds Cindy let out told me that she didn't want me to stop.

In a move I didn't see coming, she lifted herself up so that she was on her knees and wrapped her hand around the back of my head, pushing her fingers into my hair. Her quick action caused us to lose a bit of balance, but we quickly recovered. Now within reach, I brought my hand up to her breast, my thumb rolling over her hardened nipple.

"Shit… oh, _fuck!_ Ji _-_ Jimmy…."

"Atta girl." I panted into her ear, still ramming into her. "Say my name," I ordered as I moved my other hand from her waist to rub wet circles between her legs.

"JIMMY! UNGH! YES!" As she came, her back curved and it pushed her ass closer to me. I let out a grunt, edging closer to my own release.

"Damn it, Cindy…. FUCK." I let out before pulling out of her and catching a glimpse of the euphoric look on her face.

* * *

"I don't know how you do it, but you manage to surprise me every time." Even though I wasn't completely sure if she was talking about my stamina or the island getaway, I smiled at her words, knowing how ecstatic I had made her.

"You're worth it. Every bit." I moved to kiss her as her phone rang from the other side of the room.

"Who is calling you right now? Don't they know you're on vacation?"

"It's not a call. It's an alarm. For my pill." I heard her speak as she walked over to shut it off. Lying back down from my elevated position, I thought of how successful everything had gone so far.

There was no mechanical or electrical problem getting here and we arrived with great timing. Weather wasn't an issue either and I knew it wouldn't be once we reached our tropical destination. She was fully surprised by everything and I could tell by her expressions and the way she spoke that she truly was not suspicious of anything I had planned.

With everything we had through, not only limited to the last year, I knew this trip was so well-earned.

"It's not here." Her cautious voice interrupted my thoughts.

"What do you mean?" I replied as I got up and walked towards her.

"My birth control. It's- it's not here."

"What? No. It has to be." I watched as she turned her bag upside down and shook it roughly, looking for any small and overlooked contents. "You sure you didn't bring another bag…?"

Based on the look on Cindy's face I could tell she realized that it wasn't in any of the luggage she brought. By the time she explained what had happened, I couldn't think of anything to do or say other than quickly embracing her.

She curled into my arms, shaking in a way that had nothing to do with the nighttime chill in the air. I thought she would cry, and, as in most cases, I didn't know what to do if she did.

"Do you want to leave?" I asked, knowing it was a plausible, and perhaps the only, option. "We'll go right now if you want."

Considering everything, it wasn't an easy decision. It was one that I probably should not have placed on her at the moment.

She decided to try to stay, noting my hard work that made this all possible.

But I could tell she wasn't happy with her choice. We went to sleep in a completely different mood than how we had arrived and it did not change much by the following morning.

Ultimately, we were packing up everything into the hovercar and heading home by the afternoon, cutting our trip two days short.

I couldn't help but feel disappointed, seeing how much I was looking forward to our trip and how much went into planning it. But Cindy's well-being is my priority.

Of course, I would do whatever she wanted. No matter what.

 **I have to admit, it was interesting to write that last part in his point of view. Especially because I'm sure it's a much different thought process for the men than the women in a situation like this.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed it! Let me know what you think!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Here's my apology: writer's block has been insanely real this time around. Along with that, I've had a close family member in and out of the hospital recovering from surgeries for over a month now. All is better though so thank you for your patience.**

 **There's a big time jump here. You'll find out exactly when it takes place though. Enjoy!**

 **SIX MONTHS LATER**

 **Jimmy's POV**

"Jimmy, I love you and all but I'm telling you now: I am _never_ doing this again," Cindy huffed out, finally managing to catch up to me. It came as a surprise that I was ahead of her seeing how much more physically fit she is than me.

Guess that means the invention is working.

"I don't recall hearing about you complaining the last time."

"Well, the last time was a very different scenario," she snapped. "Ugh, what the hell Jimmy? Aren't you tired?" Seeing as we were both carrying the same amount of heavy equipment and yet I wasn't breaking a sweat, it was a valid question.

"No," I spoke, tuning her out a bit and peeking over the hill we ended up standing on. I grinned when I saw our intended destination.

"What are you….?" She walked over to where I stood and looked down as well. "We're not going down yet. We _just_ got up here. Let's take a break."

"We should go down there so we don't miss it." I spoke loud enough for her to hear as I properly attached my snowboard.

"Miss what?"

At that, I removed the large, metallic clip I had attached to my jacket and placed it on the front of hers. I pressed the button on the side and watched as her eyes widened at all the weight that she no longer felt.

"Wha-?" She gave me a look that told me now was the perfect time to make my getaway.

"Gotta blast!" With a small leap, I headed downhill, hoping Cindy wasn't immediately following behind.

Though I kept getting farther away from her each second, I could have sworn I heard her yell out my name in an old, yet oddly familiar way.

I knew then that until that moment, our vacation was going really well.

As expected, Cindy was over the moon when I told her that we would be going to Switzerland over our holiday break. A lot of effort and use of the connections I made during my NASA internship came into play to make this possible but I knew it would be worth it.

Not having seen each other all of this past semester made this trip especially necessary.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, and I'm sure she didn't either, this past semester has been more difficult than the previous ones. It's safe to say that the reason for that is largely because of how grueling our schedules and academic workload have gotten. I knew that spending as much time as possible now that we are both out of school was exactly what we needed.

The unfortunate fact that the snow themed activities here include skiing, something she had been doing exactly during this time two years ago with someone I would rather not mention by name. was not at all intended, let alone meant to be spiteful.

But on the bright side, being on this winter wonderland of a getaway was useful for me as well. It was the best use of killing two birds with one stone that I've done recently.

I swiftly landed at the bottom of the hill, close to where there was a large crowd gathering. Deciding not to get her more upset than she likely already was, I waited for Cindy, who wasn't too far behind on her own board.

"Okay," she spoke once she arrived and hastily removed her snow goggles. "What is going on? You did _not_ just make me climb up that hill for nothing." I opened my mouth to explain at the same time she pulled the clip off herself. The action pushed her body forward, like she exhaled a deep breath. "And what was that?!"

"It's a new invention I'm working on," I explained as I stuck my hand out for her to place it into. Luckily, she did so without putting up a fight. "How did you feel when you had it on?"

"Uh, I don't know. Like… floaty?" I could tell by her tone she wasn't all too happy with me asking questions. "Still feeling like that now, kind of."

"Huh. Must be a side effect." I mumbled to myself so she wouldn't hear. "Don't worry about it. You'll be fine," I said louder and made a mental note to record the result in my notebook when I got a chance. She had an exasperated look on her face and I knew she would want to talk about this later. Not wanting her to be a bad mood any longer, I reached for her hand and she laced her fingers in mine, now giving me a curious glare.

"What are you up to Neutron?" She said somewhat playfully.

"What do you mean?" Instead of answering, she focused her attention at the crowd in front of us, finally seeming to notice it.

"What's going on over there?" With her interest growing, we started moving through the crowd, trying to get as close to the front as possible. In a short time, we made it and found ourselves facing a large digital clock that was counting down time. It currently read a little less than forty-five minutes.

"What's going on?" With a hint of suspicion, she turned and asked me, as if I would know the answer.

And I most certainly did.

It was more than just the holiday season that lead to us coming here for vacation. By coming to Switzerland, Cindy and I are lucky enough to be standing in the line of totality for the rare occurrence of a solar eclipse. The awareness of this has been broadcast on all news networks for several weeks now. So with all the world-wide chatter about it, I'm more than thankful Cindy hadn't already realized that we were very conveniently going to have the best view for it.

"Well…we umm…. We are less than an hour away from a total solar eclipse," I said, sounding far more excited than I probably should have.

Ideally, I wouldn't have told her the truth until the last possible second. But with something like this, time really is of the essence.

With a gasp of recognition, Cindy spoke.

"You knew about this." She wasn't asking me.

Damn.

"That's why we're here? For the eclipse?"

"Cindy-."

"You- you had this all planned out, didn't you?" At this point, I couldn't tell if there was more sadness or anger on her face. "I thought this was a vacation for the two of us. To be together." With a scoff, she continued. "But you just- you brought me here so you can do your science stuff."

"Cindy don't get upset-," I spoke as I moved to embrace her.

"How do you expect me to not get upset?" She inched away from me. "You just-. God, you always do this."

I wasn't able to say another word before she ran off into the crowd. She moved so swiftly, I knew it wouldn't be easy to catch up to her.

* * *

 **Cindy's POV**

A wave of anger rushed through me as I pushed my way through the mass of people, hoping to get out of there as quickly as possible.

While this is so typical of him, in retrospect, I really should have seen something like this coming.

When Jimmy first told me about going on vacation over holiday break in Switzerland, I was thrilled. I never would have expected anything as extravagant as that. I also knew that it would inevitably come with a large price tag. I like to think that this trip was made possible in part by some of the friends he made at NASA, even though he might be too proud to admit it. If that were the case, surely there must have been some sort of catch that only he could really contribute to.

So the more I think about it, I'm not surprised in the slightest that science is the main reason we're here.

Truthfully, Jimmy didn't give me too much time to prepare for the trip, so it brought about a big change to my plans for the break.

As I did last year, I was planning on going home to see my family. Even with me putting in a few extra hours here and there at my on-campus job, it was going to be a bit of a struggle purchasing Christmas presents and buying a plane ticket home, particularly in this time of year. So when Jimmy told me that all major expenses on this vacation would be taken care of, it was immensely relieving. Even though we left a few days after Christmas, I didn't think it would be wise to make two long journeys in such a short period of time. My parents thankfully understood and I ended up staying on campus, giving me a few additional days to get ready.

This all meant that I haven't been home since the summer, something I was painfully reminded of once I realized Jimmy's motive.

To make matters worse, as if today wasn't already full of joyous occasions, it's also New Year's Eve.

Another reason I was excited about our vacation was the timing of it.

Jimmy and I have been dating for almost a year and a half and we have yet to spend the holiday season together. At the rate we're going, I can't say for sure when, or even if, it would even happen. Although that wasn't something we outwardly spoke about, we both knew it was true. So for us to actually spend New Year's together was something I was really looking forward to.

After his little stunt though, I want nothing more than to just go home.

Unsurprisingly, when I turned back around, now fifty or so feet away from the growing crowd, he was nowhere in sight.

* * *

Even though I would have loved to get on the next flight back home, I knew that that was an over-dramatic move, even for me.

Instead, I went back to our hotel room and distracted myself in any way I could think of, figuring I would probably be alone for a while. It was somewhere between flipping through the Swiss TV channels and thinking about taking a shower that Jimmy finally showed up.

"Hey," he spoke cautiously, not at all shocked to see me here.

With a scowl on my face, I pressed the 'mute' button on the remote, silencing a language I didn't understand. As he walked into the room and got closer to me, I moved to sit cross-legged on the bed, changing my position from lying on my stomach.

"Hi," I responded and although I didn't want to be the one to engage in conversation first, I continued. "How was the eclipse?"

By the time I made it back to our room, there were less than five minutes left to reach full solar totality. If it weren't for how dark it already got, I could tell something was happening based on how empty the hotel appeared to be as I was making my way up here. Our room had a great view of the mountains, which meant we could see the sky clearly as well. I knew better than to look directly at an eclipse but based on the time the room was submerged in complete darkness along with the distant cheering and hollers of all the spectators outside, I knew when the highly-anticipated moment had arrived.

The only thing I thought about at that time was Jimmy.

"It was…," I could tell by the look on his face that would have difficulty finding the right word for how incredible it truly was.

"Cool," I nodded, knowing it wasn't the word he was searching for.

Neither of us said anything for a bit, although it seemed like hours. I turned to stare at the TV, not really watching it but doing anything to avoid Jimmy's gaze.

"Cindy, can we talk?"

I really did try to fight the urge to say something that would speed up our inevitable fight.

"About what?"

"Look, I- I know that you're mad at me and I get it so-."

"Do you?" I managed to finally look at him. "Do you actually 'get it'? Do you get that I gave up going home to see my parents for this? That I haven't seen my best friend since the summer? And I did all this for you."

"Oh, for me?"

"Yes, for you." I moved to stand up. "I changed my plans, practically last minute, to come here with you."

"It's not like I begged you to come. You could have said no if you wanted to."

"And on top of that, you don't even seem to appreciate it!"

"Well, I'm not the one that walked out back there, am I?!"

"Which might not have happened if you showed a shred of interest in something other than yourself for once!"

"What the _hell_ are you talking about?!"

"I'm talking about how even though we're thousands of miles from home, finally spending the holidays together, you have to go ahead and ruin it for your benefit!" My voice grew to an uncomfortable volume and I knew I had to settle down. "You proved today that we only came here because the eclipse was going on." I hated myself for letting my voice get so shaky. "And I bet if we hadn't, we wouldn't have seen each other for another few months yet again." I crossed my arms and looked down, wanted to hide myself even though I was standing right in front of him. "Not that it even matters anyway." I said that last part softly, and a part of me hoped that he heard it.

"You don't mean that."

The worst part about his answer is that he didn't deny my accusation of why we came here.

"You know what?" I looked into his eyes. "I do mean it." By the tremble in my voice, I knew I was barely holding it together. "I'm already learning how to live without you Jimmy." No matter how long I have known him, there will be times, such as this, where I can't tell what he's thinking. "And if I have to, I will."

 **Oooh, I didn't really want to end it there, but we have to save something for the next chapter.**

 **So because this update took forever, I thought I'd treat you guys by giving you some info on the future of this story. I have outlined what I have planned to write and I can tell you that….this story is going to be LONGER than the original. As you can naturally assume, it will take us a while to get there, but it will definitely surpass the amount of chapters. Hope you guys can tune in.**

 **Reviews?**


	14. Chapter 14

**This chapter turned out differently than how I planned it out in my head… but doesn't it always? Watch for the flashbacks and enjoy!**

 **THREE MONTHS LATER**

 **Cindy's POV**

"I can't believe you actually brought those on board."

"Says the girl that once showed up hungover to Intro to Psyche. On a Tuesday!" I turned away from her, a smile playing on my lips.

Sonia managed to discreetly hide the travel sized bottles of alcohol just as our attendant made her way over to inform us to fasten our seatbelts.

Right across the aisle from us, our two other friends, Tess and Meg, looked on and giggled at how hastily Sonia tried to hide the bottles into her purse.

As much as I love Sonia, she can be a little much at times. I don't understand how much she could possibly expect to drink on a three-hour plane ride.

After a rigorous first semester and what felt like months of planning, we were finally leaving for one of the most anticipated events of the college experience: spring break.

Meg, who lives with Tess right across the hall from Sonia and I, convinced her parents to let the four of us use their airline miles. It's something we're all really thankful for since, especially this time of year, a week-long trip to Miami won't be cheap. But based on the excitement buzzing around us, that was really the least of our concerns.

Since spring break is a relatively short amount of time compare to the holiday or summer break, I don't usually worry too much about what I'll end up doing. Last year, Sonia and I stayed on campus and did a lot of the cheesy, tourist stuff that we hadn't gotten a chance to do yet. But this year was going to be totally different. If anything, this vacation will go fully as expected.

About an hour into the flight, I took out my sleep eye mask from my carry on and put it on, thinking it would be a good idea to get some sleep since I was up late last night packing. Instead, my thoughts kept me up.

While we had been planning this trip for weeks and was really excited about going on vacation with my friends, I found it difficult to do so carelessly. There were a couple of small, easily repaired problems I was going through at school. However, my most worrisome one was my relationship with Jimmy.

I wouldn't exactly say that he was all too thrilled about me going to Miami for spring break with my single college friends and fake I.D tagging along. But as he knows, there really wasn't anything he could do about it. He wasn't as outspoken about his opinions on the matter as I had anticipated he would be and based on how we've been doing these past three months, it was probably for the best.

Ever since Switzerland, saying it's been tense between us would be an understatement.

" _And if I have to, I will."_

 _Although it actually may have only been a few seconds, the time it took him respond felt endless._

" _Cindy, don't say that", the words were that of an order, but his tone didn't express that. I swallowed the lump in my throat before I spoke again._

" _Do you even care? I mean," I took another breath. "do you realize that I had to sacrifice things to be able to do this? I-I wanted to come here. With you. Because I love you."_

" _I love you too Cindy," he stepped closer to me._

" _Well, you- you have a really weird way of showing it, Jimmy." There was now a small strength in my voice that I didn't want to lose. "You can't just make big gestures like this and expect me to go into it blindly and without questioning anything. You know I'm smarter than that."_

" _I know."_

" _So then why- why weren't you just honest with me? You should know by now that I'm going to get angrier if you keep things from me instead of just telling me in the first place."_

I eventually managed to fall asleep and it was the announcement that we would be landing in about fifteen minutes that woke me up. The stream of light coming in through the window reenergized me about the days to come.

Once we were off the plane and making our way through the airport to pick up our baggage, we noticed that the weather in Miami is a nice and very welcome change from the bitter cold of New York. It might be called 'spring break' but up north, Mother Nature didn't seem to get the memo.

After taking my phone off airplane mode, I thought about texting Jimmy to tell him I had arrived in Florida safely. I hadn't said I would and he didn't ask me to but since the last time I spoke to him was when we were waiting for the cab to take us to JFK, I do want to be considerate.

The idea was quickly pushed out of my head though when we all started taking photos and videos of our arrival and destination. It was silly and exciting and I knew we looked so much like the tourists that we were.

* * *

Once we got to our hotel room, it became a unanimous decision for us to go to the beach first. The view we had from our balcony made it an easy choice for all of us.

We got dressed, each one of us taking a few minutes in the bathroom. I changed into my simple forest green two-piece and denim shorts. While that only took a couple of minutes, I spent longer than I should have paying attention to my phone and any sound that might come from it.

Mine was the first luggage that came off the carousel and as I waited for everyone else's to show up, I took the opportunity and updated Jimmy. Sonia's questioning glance made me think on the spot and blurt out that I was texting my mom instead and it occurred to me that I should do that as well. By the time I had sent both of them a message, all four of us had our luggage in hand.

That was about an hour and a half ago though, and while my mom was quick to text me back, the same couldn't be said about Jimmy. Since I didn't want to constantly check my phone while I was with my friends, I figured waiting privately for a few minutes would be better.

I didn't realize how much time had passed of me locked up in the bathroom until three loud knocks on the door startled me and made me look up.

"Cindy!" Tess's voice called out. "Hurry up or we'll leave without you…." She trailed off.

Deciding not to focus on Jimmy anymore, at least for the time being, I gathered my clothes and phone into my arms and made my way out.

I opened the door hastily and spoke out loud.

"You guys don't really think you're leaving without me, do you?"

" _I'm sorry," he spoke in a soft and familiar tone, "I know you're tired of hearing it but I don't know what else I can say."_

" _The truth would be nice for a change." I meant for it to be direct and straightforward but I realized how harsh it sounded based on the wince he gave when I said it._

" _I deserve that."_

 _I did nothing other than cross my arms, letting the action speak for me._

" _I-I did want this to be about us." He began. "I missed you like crazy and I wanted to see you again. I knew I would at home over the break anyway but it wasn't enough for me. When I found out about the eclipse and where it was going to be and all, I reached out to my NASA colleagues about arranging it so I could cover it. It wasn't really set in stone until a little before I told you about it so I didn't want to say anything beforehand…. I knew it was last minute and that that alone would upset you but I didn't mean for it to. So I just," he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, probably not knowing what else to say. "I really fucked up, didn't I?"_

" _Yes." There was something in the way I said it, and I knew he could hear it too, that implied I would be more forgiving than it seemed I would be a few minutes ago._

"Enjoy ladies," our waiter smiled as our plates were delivered to our table. We all chimed in our 'thank you's' before he walked away, Meg's eyes lingering a little too much as he did so.

"God, Meg, could you be any more obvious?" Sonia called out, speaking for all of us.

"What do you mean?" She spoke after tearing her eyes away.

"You know what I mean," Sonia ended with a wink.

"It's not a crime to look," Meg directed at all of us. "If it were, you'd all be serving out life sentences for your behavior at the beach." We laughed, knowing it was true. "All of you except for Cindy."

In a completely unexpected move, all my friends turned to look at me and despite my true innocence, the way I was targeted made me feel guilty.

It should be common sense that I wasn't going to be as…unreserved as my friends were going to be while we were here. Our day at the beach, overflowing with attractive male peers, many of which were also likely here on break, had already and very easily proved that.

Out of respect for Jimmy, knowing how he felt about it, I didn't even bring the swim suit I wore our first day in Cancun. That still didn't stop gazes being thrown on our way, however, and I couldn't help noticing that some were, unfortunately, directed right at me.

Even though there are many things I _could_ indulge in while I was here, I knew that, because of my relationship with Jimmy, that was not going to be possible. I thought it would be an internal struggle, especially because it wasn't something I brought up with any of the girls beforehand. But based on how they did in fact take note of my lack of interaction to our new surroundings, I guess it wasn't as private as I hoped.

"Cindy is taken and she would never. She's far too in love with Jimmy to do anything like that," I head Sonya speak up for me.

"He probably wasn't too happy when you told him you were coming here, huh?" Tess asked a question I'm sure all of them were thinking.

"I wouldn't say so, no," I replied with a shrug. "But it's not like he could stop me or anything. His break is next week and he's at school now, so it's not like we would have seen each other anyway. Besides, nothing's going to happen."

"But if you weren't going out with Jimmy," Meg began, and the three of us turned to face her, "do you think something would?"

It is kind of an obvious answer. One that I shouldn't have to say.

So far, I don't regret coming to Miami for spring break at all. However, I'm sure that if I were single, I wouldn't hesitate to flirt it up like my friends were doing at the beach. After all, that, along with whatever would follow, is a part of the college lifestyle that I haven't participated in.

But that's not really something I should be thinking about, let alone have to explain it.

"Well, I am. So let's just drop it."

" _I don't want you to think that I don't care about you or your feelings," he spoke as he approached me. "I love you more than anything. You know that." He cupped my face with his hand and I couldn't help but lean into it._

" _I…. appreciate that. And this. And everything that you've ever done for me," I answered. "But I just want you to understand that I have a right to get angry-."_

" _You do," he assured me. "And if the roles were reversed, I would be too. Believe me." I nodded and walked around him._

" _Well… now what?" I hoped he realized that I never actually said I forgive him._

 _With a smile, he turned to me._

" _I was just asked to keep track of temperature changes and any chance of long term effects. Audience reaction, things like that. But I got everything I needed." He held up his left wrist and I knew he meant that he recorded everything on his watch._

 _Internally, I felt a twinge of anger. If his assignment really was that simple and brief, it was even more of a reason why he should have told me about it. But I decided not to dwell on that any longer._

" _So," he continued, "for the rest of this vacation, I'm all yours. If you'll have me."_

 _And because I somehow, someway, despite everything, still found him so irresistible, I closed the gap between us and kissed him._

We all knew we'd feel the effects of it in the morning. But in the meantime, there were no regrets.

As we all stumbled back to our room, Tess and Meg each holding a large bag of our combined McDonalds drive-thru order, our giddiness seemed loud enough to wake up anyone in the neighboring rooms. A part of me was surprised that no one popped their head out to see what the noise was about.

Falling a little behind, I ran to catch up to find Sonia struggling to open the door with our room key and the other two surrounding her.

"Hurry UP, Sonia. I'm so hungry!"

"You already ate almost all your fries in the cab, Tess!"

"Shh!" Meg and I spoke at the same time, not wanting to cause even more of a commotion.

"Ugh, finally!" As the door beeped and Sonia pushed it open, they all almost tripped over each other as they entered our room.

I followed behind them and decided that my Big Mac could wait. While the three of them crowded around the greasy brown bags, I sneakily made my way over to over to our balcony as I pulled my phone out of my clutch purse. Closing the sliding door behind me, I pressed the phone icon when I found the number I was looking for.

Much to my dismay, it took a few rings before my call was answered.

"Hello?" I could tell by the way his voice sounded that I woke him up.

"Hey," I spoke a lot livelier than Jimmy did.

"Hey," I could tell he knew that it was me. "Cin, it's two-thirty in the morning. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," I shrugged, even though he wouldn't be able to see it. "I just… I miss you."

I practically felt him smile through the phone.

"I miss you too." A moment passed in which neither of us spoke and then Jimmy broke the silence. "Are you drunk?"

"A little bit," I giggled, knowing it was far worse than I was letting on.

"Sounds like you had a good night. You are okay, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "I'm always okay when I'm with you."

"I'm pretty far away Cindy." he replied with his signature chuckle. "But I'm glad you called."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, not really listening to what he said just before.

"For what?"

"For…coming here. With my friends. I knew you weren't going to be happy…. But I just really wanted to, y'know?"

"Baby, it's okay. You don't have to apologize for that. You've deserve a vacation." He paused before he spoke again. "Don't worry about me, alright?"

"If you say so." I felt a breeze and shivered a bit. "I have to go. There's food."

"Okay. Thank you for checking in. I appreciate it."

"'Course," I smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too. Good night."

 **The next chapter is one that I have been planning for a long time and I am SO EXCITED for you all to read it. Here's a tease: we're going to see some old friends again.**

 **Also, if you follow me on Twitter (at D13Tribute) you may already know this but if you don't, I'd like to announce that my one-shot "The Lab" is getting a second chapter! That is coming out very soon so if you haven't read the first part yet (or added it to alert)… what are you waiting for?**

 **I hope you enjoyed this and please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I'm back! Sorry about that. Also: sorry about this.**

 **FIVE MONTHS LATER**

 **Cindy's POV**

"So you're sure about this? You're completely okay with it?"

"Yes, it's fine Libs," I assured my best friend. "I'm alright. I'm doing this for you."

Although I sounded assertive, I knew she still had doubts based on the look on my face.

"It might get awkward," she brought up, as if I hadn't already thought of that myself. Pretending she was upsetting me, I put my hands on my hips.

"Now you sound like you're trying to convince me not to do it."

"I just," she began as she put on one of her earrings, "I want you to be okay."

"I will be." I smiled and, thankfully, she smiled back.

At least, I really hoped I would be.

Getting the news that Libby and Sheen were getting married was exciting and yet surprising. The surprise wasn't really at the action of getting married, since anyone could see that was going to happen eventually. It was the timing and setting that threw everyone for a loop.

With Libby and I both getting summer internships in New York and spending most of the season here and Sheen getting his paperwork ready so he can start working in the Army Reserve, it aligned well enough for them to take the, admittedly, very large step.

Libby always saw herself getting married somewhere other than Texas and yet still surrounded by family and friends. With both sets of parents' arrivals this morning, we were all good to go.

Due to the haste of it, and of course, it being a very short engagement, this will be the farthest thing from a formal event. We're all just dressing up and going to city hall, which, considering it's Libby, who has been planning her wedding since she learned what one is, has been another big shock.

All of her concerns, though, seem to be about me, her bridesmaid/maid of honor. And she's got every right to worry too seeing that the sole groomsman/best man is my now ex-boyfriend.

I know it wasn't done to hurt me. Just like on the other end, it wasn't done to hurt him. Since it was so last minute, there was no way Carl, who was somewhere in India right now, could have made it. Sheen has an Army buddy coming to the wedding but since Sheen and Jimmy have been friends their whole lives, there was no competition for who would be his best man.

"When was the last time you spoke to him?" Libby interrupted my thoughts.

"The breakup," I sighed. "It's also the last time I saw him. But I'm pretty used to not seeing him for long periods of time," I ended bitterly. Libby frowned and I knew she regretted asking. "It's fine," I shook my head as I walked up to the mirror we were sharing in our hotel room, courtesy of Sheen's parents. Making sure to spread out my hair so the curls were even on each side, I spoke again. "I'm over it."

A brisk knock on the door drew my attention away from the mirror.

"Come in," Libby allowed.

"Oh, you girls look beautiful!" I easily recognized Mrs. Folfax's voice and turned to look at her, smiling my thanks,

"Thanks mom," she sounded as if she were exhaling a deep breath, like her mom's confirmation made any negative thoughts or energy fade away. In a few short steps, they met in the middle and embraced. I was tempted to turn away as to not to intrude.

"So everything is ready to go. We're waiting on you two."

"Is Sheen really ready?" Libby asked anxiously. "He overslept this morning and I know he's probably running behi-."

"Yes, he is," Mrs. Folfax put her hands on her daughter's shoulders, calming her with just three words. "He and Jimmy are both- Oh, I'm sorry Cindy."

Even though my back was to them, I still could hear every word that was exchanged. And I knew what Libby's mom was apologizing about.

"It's okay," I turned to them. "You can talk about him," I shook my head like it was no big deal, which I suppose it isn't. It's not like I can expect everyone to forget about Jimmy just because I'm trying to.

Instead of saying anything, she just nodded and gave a small smile.

"Well, we're ready whenever you are."

"Alright," Libby nodded as well. "We'll be out in a few."

At hearing her words, I suddenly felt a whole lot more nervous than I'm sure she did.

 _With a trembling hand, I picked up the phone. As I sat on the bed and waited for the call to be answered, I took a couple of deep breaths, hoping my voice wouldn't shake as much as the rest of my body._

" _Hey girl! What's up?" spoke Libby's ever cheerful voice after a few seconds. As much as I hated interrupting her shopping trip with her mom, I really felt that this couldn't wait._

" _Jimmy just broke up with me," I blurted out, saying it much too fast and yet completely understandable._

 _Not entirely sure if she heard me, there was a heavy pause before she spoke again._

" _I'll be over in twenty minutes."_

 _It was a set of twenty minutes that seemed to last twenty years._

 _With neither parent home at the moment and having just arrived from a supposedly romantic walk through the park, I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold on before Libby arrived. Luckily, in a shorter amount of time than promised, I heard the sound of the front door opening and rapid steps up the stairs. With my bedroom door being slightly ajar, she only had to give it a small push to open it all the way._

 _The second I saw her, the first sob escaped._

" _Oh Cindy," she approached me as she took my hands in hers and sat next to me on the bed. "What happened?"_

He's standing, at most, thirty feet away. Our biggest barrier is the large wooden door separating the hallway and the room in which Libby and Sheen will be married in momentarily.

Libby, wanting to make it seem as much like a 'real' wedding as possible, insisted on walking into the room as the wedding march played on Sheen's Bluetooth speaker. While there was no delay on that end, Libby nervously stood outside the closed doors. I knew, both as her best friend and maid of honor, that I had to do or say something before we missed our appointment window.

"Are you alright?"

"You- you don't think I'm making a mistake, do you?"

 _Oh, boy._

Truthfully, she's not.

This isn't some drunken decision made after a night out in Vegas with a guy she only met hours ago. It's not one of those Romeo and Juliet type of marriages where she's doing it behind their feuding families backs.

She's also not pregnant. That was the first thing I asked when she told me they were getting married, much to her displeasure,

But, as supportive as I may be, I can't say I one hundred percent agree with the idea of them tying the knot.

They're only twenty-one. They're each other first real serious relationship. And even though they have been seeing more of each other lately, since Sheen has been serving and Libby's been in school these past two years, I still can't help but feel as if they are rushing into this.

Besides all that, how often is that high school sweethearts successfully end up and stay together?

Instead of saying any of that though, and not wanting to ruin her big day, I said what I knew she wanted to hear.

Standing in front of her, grabbing the hand that wasn't holding onto her bouquet, I spoke.

"Do you remember what you said when I asked how you knew you were in love with Sheen?"

It may not have been the wisest thing for me to say, considering I used her answer to help me figure out my feelings for Jimmy back in high school. But now, I knew she would need a reminder.

She smiled slightly.

"You said," I began paraphrasing, "he's all you think about. And he makes you feel every emotion possible, but you love him for it. That you two," I paused, realizing that I actually related to what I was going to say next, "share something that no one will ever understand."

Libby smiled wider.

"And the two of you deserve to feel that way forever. With each other, of course." Because while I don't consider the friendship I have with Sheen to be close, I don't think there's any doubt that the way he feels about Libby is the same that she feels about him.

That was enough for tears to start forming in her eyes, which she quickly blinked away so she wouldn't ruin her makeup.

"Thank you," she let out before pulling me in for a tight hug.

With all these emotions, I nearly forgot that I was going to be seeing Jimmy in a few seconds.

Turning back around, I noticed that Libby's dad was now standing by our side, waiting to walk her down the aisle. I knocked on the door, signaling to Libby's mom on the other side that we were ready and to start the music.

* * *

This would be a lot easier if he didn't look so good.

I mean, I know he's the best man at a wedding. But still.

Maintaining my composure, I walked slowly ahead of Libby and her dad. I tried to keep my eyes on the wall behind the town officiant with the smallest of smiles on my face, if only to not have a stone-cold face. I figured if I stared at it long and hard enough, I could resist the temptation to look around at the other people in the room.

My expression completely changed however, once I turned around and saw her walking towards us.

I'd never seen anyone look so unabashedly happy. Based on how she looked right now, on her way to marry the love of her life, no one could have ever known how much of nervous wreck she was up until moments ago.

In the few short minutes that consisted of the ceremony, my eyes unwillingly darted towards Jimmy and I mentally cursed myself when I thought I saw his head turn the slightest amount in my direction. I was suddenly extremely thankful that Libby and Sheen chose to have this sort of ceremony instead. I don't know how I would have been able to handle a full blown out, traditional wedding and have to stand in close proximity to him for a longer amount of time.

The only thing that brought me out of my self-induced funk was hearing the cheers and applause that came from Sheen and Libby's first kiss as husband and wife. Not wanting to seem like I wasn't paying attention, I clapped as well and smiled a genuine, ear-to-ear smile. Even though I was going through my own issues, there was no excuse to not be happy on my best friend's big day.

 _I grinned triumphantly, knowing I had the last word as my strawberry smoothie landed onto his hair and started dripping down from his shoulders. With an angry huff and a high level of embarrassment, Neutron turned and stormed out the doors of the Candy Bar, followed by Carl and Sheen._

 _I sat back down, reaching for the curly fries Libby and I were sharing, trying to ignore the look she was giving me._

" _What?" I spoke innocently after swallowing, no longer able to avoid her glare._

" _Why are you so mean to Jimmy?" she asked in a tone that didn't at all match her expression from seconds ago. The main indicator of that being the smirk on her face._

" _I am not mean to Neutron," I spoke, knowing that we're about to start the conversation we've had more often than I would like. Due to its frequency, I know exactly what's going to happen next._

 _Libby is about to shake her head with a playful smile and make some badly disguised comment on the feelings for Jimmy that she suspects I have._

 _So I was surprised to see her purse her lips and take a deep breath in through her nose._

" _You know," she used a serious tone that I wasn't really prepared for. "We_ are _starting high school in a couple of weeks. Time for a fresh, new start…." She trailed off as I stared at her, chewing on another fry while missing and slightly regretting dumping my smoothie onto Neutron's head._

" _Yeah. And?" I only spoke because I realized she was waiting for me to say something._

" _And," she paused to take a sip of her cookies and cream milkshake although I knew she was really just thinking of how to gather her thoughts. "It wouldn't kill you to… ease up on… things."_

" _What are you talking about?" I did, of course, know exactly what she was talking about. Before she could answer though, I spoke again. "If this is about Jimmy-."_

" _Yeah, like him, for example," I could see the relief on her face that I was the one who brought him up and not her._

" _Did you not see how much he was bragging?! You'd think he's the first ninth grader in history to ever get into pre-calc. And then that little comment about me not getting into the class? He's lucky I didn't do anything worse."_

 _Libby shrugged in response, probably not really listening to my defense._

" _I'm just saying," she spoke as she dipped her fry in ketchup. "Maybe you should stop being so angry towards him and start showing a… different kind of feeling."_

 _Now I was the one glaring at her._

" _Oh, come on Cindy," she pleaded. "Don't you think it's time to let go of this little rivalry? You never know what could come out of it."_

" _If you're referring to what I think you're referring to…."_

" _I'm not saying anything in particular, but really? Not even a little bit?"_

" _For the hundredth time, I do not have feelings for Nerdtron." I said it loud enough so only she could hear. "Haven't you seen the way he treats me? I deserve so much better than that." I added even though I knew that was a bit dramatic._

" _I'm not saying you don't, but just think about what I said, okay? You two could be really good friends if you tried." I raised my eyebrows in a skeptical way but looked away from her. "You don't trust me now," she began in a teasing tone I knew all too well, "but in a few years, we're all going to be gathered at your wedding. Mark my words."_

 **Okay, so: this is a two-parter. Next chapter, we're finally going to catch up with Jimmy and since we haven't heard from him in a while, hopefully that chapter will be LONG and answer some questions you undoubtedly have. A question for you guys: when I write flashbacks, are the italics enough for you guys to distinguish it from the rest of the story? Or do you think I should I put in some sort of signal at the beginning and end so it's clearer? Let me know.**

 **Please PLEASE don't hate me for what's happened! I know this chapter took a long time and believe me, it was difficult. This is not the end though, I assure you. I really would appreciate your reviews in this one in particular since I need to know what you think. So please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Well. Here we go.**

 **Jimmy's POV**

"You're, I can honestly say, the best love story I know. You've given me something to look forward to and expect and I am so grateful for that. And thank you as well for letting me be a part of your special day. I love you both very much and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for you. Congratulations."

It was really hard to look at her while she was saying any of that.

It didn't help that I was sitting directly in front of Cindy either. But seeing as we were Sheen and Libby's Best Man and Maid of Honor and this was their wedding reception, I knew better than to say anything about the seating arrangements.

As the applause from our small group died down and Cindy took her seat, I tried my hardest not to look at her. I knew doing so would not only bring back memories, but every emotion that was felt as well.

" _So who else is going again?" I asked, trying not to rub my temples together for the nth time._

" _I told you," Cindy spoke patiently although it sounded faraway since I knew I was on speakerphone. "It's me, Sonia, and the two girls that live across from us. I've mentioned them before, Meg and Tess. Remember?"_

" _Right," I spoke although I didn't remember. "You know, you still haven't sent me the address to the hotel you're staying at." Even though I knew her phone was placed down on her bed as she was packing, I could still hear the frustrated sigh._

" _You're serious about that?"_

" _Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"_

" _Don't you think that's a little,,, unnecessary? I mean, my parents haven't even asked for specific details."_

" _Doesn't mean you shouldn't tell them." After a beat, which I knew she was using to roll her eyes at me, she spoke again._

" _I'll ask Sonia when she gets back from class. I don't have the information on me right now."_

" _Fine," I answered, internally knowing she wouldn't do it._

 _This is yet another reason why I am against Cindy going away for spring break with her friends._

 _She first brought it up back in January, shortly after returning to school from the holiday break. Since their planning was still in the very preliminary stages, I didn't worry too much about it, figuring they may not even end up going. So it sure took me by surprise when Cindy confirmed their plans to me about three weeks ago. Admittingly, all I've done since then is interrogate her about it. But I don't think it's wrong of me to be overly concerned._

 _I'm fully aware that Cindy has already gone on vacation alone with a friend (although it's as painful for me now as it was the first time). But now it's different. Spring break as a college student is not just any vacation and Cindy is smart enough to know that._

 _I know better than to say anything. Due to how excited and carefree she spoke about it, I don't believe it has even occurred to her how I, her boyfriend who will be nearly 1,500 miles away while she's in Miami, feel about it. She hasn't spoken a word regarding it, so I've come to the conclusion that she truly hasn't given it a thought or that she simply doesn't care._

 _To hint that I was going to be concerned, last week I politely asked her to let me know the address, or at the very least, the name of the hotel she and her friends would be staying at. Boyfriend or not, I don't think it was too much of a request. It's really for her own safety, after all._

 _A little while back, I did consider surprising her with news of my own fake spring break getaway to see how she likes it. Since mine takes place the week after hers, it would be great timing. Realizing that would be far too petty, I decided against it. Also, since college-aged guys are a culture on their own, I may not be the best example to represent them. I just hoped that Cindy would be able to look out for herself._

Her spring break didn't go nearly as… dramatic as I anticipated. And so even with me uneventfully staying on campus over my break, I didn't have anything to worry about.

Since there was no time difference, our communication schedule stayed the same. Of course, there was the exception of a phone call at 2:30 AM. It was that phone call and the reason behind it being so late, that caused an inner alarm to go off.

I'm not an idiot so, of course, I knew she would be drinking. I knew asking her to be safe and careful would be easier said than done. So naturally, when I got that call, I immediately freaked out. I'm proud to say that I hid it extremely well and once I realized it was just a drunk phone call, I was able to play along. Everything seemed fine until she, out of the blue, apologized.

It was the first time she mentioned anything about how I felt regarding the trip. And it happened over the phone, nearly 1,500 miles away, at 2:30 in the morning, while she was drunk.

But at least she said something.

It took me enough by surprise that when she actually spoke her apology, I didn't even know what she was talking about. She then, completely on her own, said that she knew I wouldn't be happy. A lot rushed through my head at that moment. I thought that maybe our connection went bad and since she's mumbling anyway, I simply misheard her. Pushing my own feelings aside and definitely not wanting to get into an argument right now, I answered what I knew she wanted to hear.

We didn't speak about that phone call for the rest of the trip. She also, as I suspected, didn't apologize again. As the days passed, I got more and more angry about it but just kept it to myself. As upset as I was, I didn't think it would be a good idea for me to say anything while she was on vacation.

But later, on the day that she got back, when she had returned to her dorm, I couldn't take it any longer.

It culminated in what I believe to be our worst fight yet.

Her screaming and telling me to fuck off and abruptly hanging up the phone was essentially the way I began my spring break. We didn't talk or communicate at all for nearly two weeks. Surprisingly, she's the one that called me and while it took her some time to get there, she apologized. But as I expected, she only apologized for her outburst and getting mad (even though I have more of a reason to be) and not for being so… casual about everything regarding Miami which is what started this whole thing.

She did go as far to say that she understood why I was angry and mentioned that she tried to see things from my perspective. For the time being, that was good enough for me.

In a way, our behaviors about this situation reminded me of Switzerland. That trip sure didn't go as I had hoped, but oddly enough, it did go as I anticipated.

I don't consider myself to be a pro at romantic gestures, but I was sure this one, surprising her with a free trip to Switzerland for the New Year, was foolproof. I had no doubt she would be into it, especially because it would be our first time spending the holidays together as a couple. As something she was always subtly reminding me about and that never left my mind, I knew it would be a good idea.

So when she ran off after realizing that we were also here for the solar eclipse, my heart sunk.

I still had a job to do, so as much as I wanted to run after her, I really couldn't.

After I interviewed a few people using the built-in translator on my watch and recording more observations, I headed back to our hotel room, knowing it was really the only place she could be.

What followed was a conversation I didn't want to have but one that would have to happen if we were going to move on from that. We couldn't exactly spend the rest of the vacation, in a European country no less, not speaking to each other.

But it was useful since I never would have learned about certain things had we not discussed it then.

I assumed she was going to go home for the holidays, mainly because she hadn't mentioned doing anything else. And while I know that's important to her, I didn't even give it a second thought when I asked if she wanted to go on this trip. I also, I realized, didn't make it seem like she had a choice. It was a brief invitation and her acceptance was even quicker. Still, if she didn't want to or if she simply preferred to go home, she could have said something. However, this was kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I hope she took that into consideration.

But I can't say I agreed when she said that we would not have seen each other for another few months if we hadn't gone to Switzerland. I mean, sure, our schedules were packed at that time, as they usually were. But we were searching ahead for a weekend in which one of us would be available to visit the other. We could have made it work. We had for a while.

And that's why nothing threw me off more than when she said that she will live without me if she has to.

It didn't make any sense.

Why did she say that? Even if she felt that way, she can't say things like that. And if it was spur of the moment, she still could have taken a second to choose her words better. Because I don't think she fully understood what that statement implied.

To me, it suggested that Cindy was off living her life as if I wasn't in it. What exactly that entailed, I don't want to know or think about. The only real consolation I had that she still considered me to be a priority was that we were maintaining our communication schedule. There was also the fact that she never seemed like she was speaking to me out of obligation and that it's because she wanted to.

Then again, once you pick up a routine, it becomes so much easier to just go with the motions.

I didn't, obviously, say any of this to her. Both because it would have started a huge argument and since I'm the reason she got mad in Switzerland, I took it as a chance to see what else was bothering her. Or, even better, what else she would admit.

But I do regret not speaking up then, because, although I didn't realize it at the time, I wouldn't have another chance to. I also didn't want to have to bring it up later and hurt her.

Even though I hope she regrets it, I will never forget her saying that. I regarded it to be the closest thing she could have said that would have lead to a break up.

Until, of course, I did it.

Breaking up with Cindy was not something I had been considering for a while but once I had the idea in my head, it was hard to let go of.

Unfortunately, it turned out that the reasons we shouldn't be together far outweighed why we should. Our love for each other can only be so strong.

It takes very little attention to notice the frequency of our arguments. I can't even recall the last time we saw each other after a long period of time that didn't end or include, at some point, a dispute. If there is one, it definitely must have been before each one of us moved away to school.

I might have felt differently about it if our fights were only limited to when we meet in person, but we both know that's far from true. If anything, our arguments over the phone were worse since we were not able to see each other's body language and facial expressions, so there was no way of knowing how much we were really holding back. To add to that, there was something crucial missing.

I may never have been in a relationship before Cindy but I'm well aware of how one should work. So I know there is one big part in particular we messed up.

I'm guilty of this too of course, but I'm sure Cindy omitted lots of details from our conversations and essentially only told me what I would want to hear. This meant that, from pretty early on, we hadn't been open and honest with each other. There are reasons for that I'm sure, but I honestly never felt comfortable about it. It seemed harmless enough so it wasn't even worth bringing up. But eventually, it became a problem with a harder to find solution each time.

Overall, it just seemed like our long-distance relationship wasn't working out. But what really made it bad was that, even when there was no physical distance, there was still trouble.

I knew it was the best thing to do. This way, there would be no more tears. No more pain.

All that went into consideration, and by the time I decided when and how to do it, I knew it was the necessary, although painful choice.

" _I'll never get over how pretty it looks out here." She had her head on my shoulder while she looked up at the trees from the park bench we were both sitting on. "I mean, I've been to Central Park but sometimes nothing beats what you've grown up with your whole life, you know?"_

" _Yeah," I said softly. Her saying that did not make what I was about to do any easier._

" _Are you alright? You seem a little off today," she said as she sat up and turned to face me. Clearly, I wasn't acting as natural as I told myself to._

" _It's just uh," I might as well come out with it. Putting it off isn't doing either of us any good. "I need to talk to you," God, I hate sounding so cliché about it, but words have never really been my strong suit._

 _There was a look in her eyes that said she sensed what was coming. I just knew._

" _Okay. What's up?"_

 _I wanted to reach over and take her hands in mine but I knew it wasn't a good idea._

" _I- um. I've been doing some thinking and…." I could not look at her in the eyes. I just couldn't. "There's… there's no easy way to-."_

" _Just say it," She spoke as a whisper but to me it sounded like the loudest statement in the world._

" _Cindy." I got my courage back to look up at her. "This isn't working out." With the shakiest of sighs, she replied._

" _Okay. Why?" She brought her gaze up to me and even though I could tell she was sad, there was not a hint of tears in her eyes. While I knew what I was going to say, since I've done nothing but run it over in my head a thousand times, I didn't expect her to bluntly ask why I was breaking up with her. And that made it a little more complicated._

" _For a while now, it just…. We haven't been… good." She was looking down at her lap and I could tell she was going to do that until I finished talking. "I mean, I'm sure you can sense it too. We're… constantly fighting and only if we're lucky of if it works out are we able to see each in person. I just…. All of this… it- it's become a struggle, to be honest." I took a longer pause, thinking she was going to say something. When she didn't, I continued. "Do- are you going to say anything?"_

 _With a deep breath, she raised her head._

" _Jimmy, I- I'm not going to sit here and say that this relationship has been rainbows and sunshine. I sure as hell know it's not perfect." She bit her lip before continuing. "But I thought we were making it work. I-I want it to," she ended with a shudder in her voice. If she started crying, I would have no idea what to do._

" _And so do I," despite what I thought before, I took her hands in mine. "But, it's not like we haven't tried. And- and it must be tough for you too." I barely noticed her sliding her hands out. "I just… I can't anymore."_

" _I can't believe you're doing this," I heard her say under her breath._

" _I want you to unders-."_

" _Please don't talk to me."_

 _Oh, man_.

" _Cindy-."_

" _NO," she spoke firmly just before standing up. "You don't get to break my heart and then act as if you didn't." I shut up right away,_

 _She didn't move or say another word after that though it looked like she wanted to. I knew it by the tears welling in her eyes._

 _I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a prick behind my own._

 _With a pale face and her whole body trembling, so unlike how she looked not fifteen minutes ago, she stormed away._

Surprisingly, even though we each did spend a few weeks in Retroville before heading back north, we never saw one another. I did spend most of the time in the lab but whenever I was outside, I never bumped into her. As creepy as it sounds, the closest I came to seeing her was through her open bedroom window one day. She was pulling her hair up into a ponytail and grabbed her gym bag from her bed before leaving the room. Her back was turned to me the entire time, so I don't know if she noticed me. Or maybe Cindy planned it that way.

After a few weeks, I noticed her window was shut for longer than usual. I figured, although I guess it's not my business to know, that she went back to school. At that time, I didn't realize that I would have no idea when I'd see her again.

And now we're here. At dinner celebrating the short engagement and wedding, of all things, of our best friends.

This school year, me and a couple of guys, including a former roommate, will be renting an off-campus apartment. Since I had already moved in earlier this month, I was able to make the trip to New York to be present for the ceremony and reception. As Sheen's Best Man, there was also no way to get out of it. Not that I would want to.

It was no question that Cindy was to be Libby's Maid of Honor, meaning that we would have to see each other again. And honestly, when she was walking into that room at city hall, that slight smile on her face, I wasn't ready for it.

I'm not ready for it now either.

I wish I could speak to her. About nothing in particular but at least just to greet her. Libby and Sheen are too caught up in their marital bliss to notice. Sheen's parents and guest don't know about our break up and likely wouldn't be overly concerned if they did. The only person that's probably noticing any awkward tension is Libby's mom, whom I imagine Cindy spoke to about us.

To take my mind off it, I've been catching up with Sheen's parents and Sheen himself (when possible). I've been getting to know Sheen's Army friend too and I was quickly able to see why he and Sheen get along so well. All in all, it's been a nice distraction from the person sitting in front of me.

Before long, it was time for me to leave. Unlike everyone else, I wasn't going to be able to stay in the city overnight and would have to leave a little early so that I could catch the last train back to Boston.

As I exchanged goodbyes with everyone and Sheen and Libby wished me well and thanked me for coming, I couldn't help but notice that Cindy was nowhere to be found. That was probably for the better, since it was sure to be a departure as awkward as the rest of the day had been.

Knowing not to ask where she went, I found out on my own as I was entering the lobby of the restaurant. A blur of familiar blonde hair bumped into me. A glance at the sign on the door she came through indicated that she just left the bathroom.

Once she pulled away, looked up, and realized it was me, her only response was a couple of quick blinks, as if she couldn't believe it.

"Hi," She said timidly, like she was afraid the greeting would offend me. I almost wanted to laugh. Here I am, on my way out and even though we have been around each other all day she is, just now, saying hello.

"Hi," I replied, losing nearly all my breath at the word.

"You're leaving?" It took a few uncomfortable seconds before she said that.

"Yeah. I'm not staying the night and I have to get back anyway. My roommates and I are going couch-hunting and we still haven't really unpacked." I explained as if she would actually care.

But the way her eyes widened slightly told me otherwise.

"Oh, you- you're in an apartment this year?"

"It was all last minute," It really was. The guys and I arranged all this within the past six weeks. "But yeah, it just… worked out really well." I knew that she didn't need to know all the details.

"Cool," she nodded softly. "That's awesome."

Neither of us made an attempt to say anything, let alone move. I really did have to leave so even if I didn't want to be the one to initiate the goodbyes, I had to,

"I um.. I have to go," I stepped around her, mainly because I knew if I didn't leave then, I probably never would. "Take care." It was a weird thing to say, but something like, "see you around" wasn't a good idea.

"You too."

I barely caught a glimpse of her bright, green eyes before she turned around and went back to the table.

 **Oh my gosh. Okay, I know you're thinking SOMETHING. Please drop me those reviews. I absolutely need to see what you guys think. Next chapter we're going to be celebrating someone's milestone birthday. You're more than welcome to guess who it is.**

 **If you're about to ask, no, he does not miss the train.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you guys so much for your reviews! Please keep them coming as I love hearing what you think. Here's another part one of two. And we're starting things off with Cindy.**

 **Cindy's POV**

I expertly hid my wince while the alcohol burned down my throat as I took the second of what was sure to be many tequila shots of the night. Today's difference is that now, it's totally legal.

Today is my long-awaited, by myself and a few others, twenty-first birthday. Of course, I have plans. I didn't want to get completely plastered before my party, so for now, I was pacing myself.

A clearer head made it possible to see Libby's concerned look from all the way on the other side of the room. Curious about it, I approached her.

"Everything okay?" I used those words even though I knew everything wasn't.

"Yeah, it's fine." As she spoke, she turned off her phone's screen as if she didn't want me to read what was on it.

"Libby…." I trailed, both of us knowing it would be better if she just told me.

With a sigh, she spoke again.

"So, don't freak out," with a shrug and red plastic cup in hand, I knew it was impossible to look any less calm. "I know you said you didn't mind inviting him because you figured he wouldn't come but… well, he is. Sheen just texted me. Jimmy's coming."

 _Oh._

"Oh. Okay," I said it both because I didn't know what to say, but also, what else was there?

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad? It's not like he wasn't invited."

"But you- just…. Are you sure?"

"Yeah!"

No.

I mean, it is okay. Like I said, he's invited.

"Who knows? Maybe he'll bring a present," that was more to reassure Libby because I really don't expect him to bring something. I don't expect anything from him.

"Okay," she answered and I knew she was letting it go. "He's coming with Sheen so we'll see them both later." I nodded with a tight smile. "Do you guys need any help setting up?"

Seeing that it is a special occasion, Meg and Tess, the former whose parents are paying their rent, are throwing me a birthday party at their apartment. It's a super nice gesture and one that I was not about to pass up.

Libby and Sheen, despite being so far away, managed to make the trip to from Texas. But by the time they arrived, Sheen to their hotel and Libby to the apartment, there wasn't too much left to be done.

I was just grateful she was here.

Before I could answer, someone else spoke.

"Libby! Why haven't you had a drink yet?" asked Sonia, who approached us carrying two cups of the pale pink drink she found the recipe to online. Libby took it and smiled, glad to be so welcomed.

This night also marks the first time Libby's met my college friends. I had no doubt they'd get along, so it wasn't something I was worried about. The fact that they all got together to celebrate my birthday made it even better.

"What's going on?" Sonia, always so perceptive, asked while I was taking a drink from my cup. Libby glanced over at me, unsure if she should say anything.

"My ex is coming," I replied coolly.

"What?!" She replied in a tone I probably should have had at hearing the news. "Why? How?"

"Cindy invited him," Libby explained, taking a drink.

"What?" Sonia turned to me. "Cindy, are you sure?"

"Why does everyone keep asking if I'm sure?" I knew they could both notice the change in my tone. Even if only the two of them had asked, I knew the other girls were going to once they found out. "It's fine. Jimmy and I are adults. I can handle seeing him again."

One of those statements was a lie.

As Libby mentioned, I really didn't think he would come, which I thought made it okay for me to add him to the guest list. He is surely busy with school and other stuff and it is finals season, after all. Since he never got back to me, I figured I was right in my assumption that he wasn't coming. So naturally, I'm surprised to be hearing the opposite from Libby. Thankfully, and it could just be the alcohol, I did a great job of hiding it.

A big reason why I'm annoyed is that him not telling me before today doesn't give me enough time to prepare myself. Despite what I want to think and what I've been telling others, I am not ready to see Jimmy again, let alone see him on such a big night.

I haven't seen not spoken to Jimmy since Libby and Sheen's wedding reception in that, needless to say, awkward encounter at the restaurant. Up until that point, I'd been doing a fantastic job of avoiding him. Finding out he was literally on his way out made me feel even worse because I was _so_ close.

I'm not stupid though. I knew Jimmy and I were going to see each other again someday. But at least by inviting him, I was taking matters into my own hands. Once I got the confirmation of his attendance, I could start bracing myself for it. Because I knew after all this time of not hearing from or about him, I wasn't going to be able to act natural about seeing him again. There was just no way. Of course, by being told at the last minute, Jimmy was ruining it.

And that's just so like him.

"So," I spoke to the rest of my friends. "If we are mostly done here, I'll go back to my room and get ready."

For my birthday, my parents, figuring I might need it or could make good use of it, booked me a hotel room. It's in the same hotel that Sheen and Libby are staying at and really close to Meg and Tess's apartment, so it's all pretty convenient. If anything, it would be a great place to hold an after-party should we feel the need to. Libby and I decided to get ready for the party there so we could take advantage of the space and since we already had our stuff there anyway.

After a few goodbyes and "see you laters" Libby and I headed to the hotel.

"So what's Sheen up to?" I asked her as we stepped into the elevator from the lobby.

"He's off doing the tourist thing. Didn't get too much of a chance to do so his first time here," she ended with a small smile and I knew she was referring to the fact that the last time Sheen was in New York, it was for their wedding and subsequent, by the sounds of it, active honeymoon weekend. "So what are you going to wear tonight?" Libby asked excitedly.

"It's a surprise, but I like to think it will be Libby-approved."

"That's a confident tone," she noted.

I shrugged and smiled. "Well, it's my birthday. I want to look nice."

"You can go for more than nice Cindy," she answered. "It's not like you're… spoken for." I noticed the hesitation in her voice. But since she was right, it's not like I could really say anything.

Instead, I gave a small nod, not wanting this subject of conversation to go beyond that.

As we approached my door and the lock unclicked after I put in my key card, I spoke in a warning tone.

"Easy on the makeup, okay?"

* * *

I never really thought of myself as a cliché. That is until I was three cups of this strong electric blue drink in, nearly a dozen shots deep (made easier by my shotglass necklace), and wearing a hot pink sash telling everyone what day it was with a cheap plastic tiara I was dying to take off.

I was having too much fun though.

It was a better turn out than I anticipated. While I didn't invite that many people, I knew my friends had included others too. I made an effort to greet everyone figuring that, with a crowd this size, there were bound to be one or two party crashers.

As I looked around for Libby, realizing I hadn't really seen her since the photos us girls took, the music was blasting and made my head pound more than it should. If I wasn't so motivated to find her, I could have very well passed out.

"Hey!" I spoke as soon as I spotted a couple of familiar faces.

"Cindy! Hey!" answered Sheen.

Although I was glad to see that he made it, I knew him being here meant that Jimmy had arrived as well. And I felt that I should be more concerned knowing that I hadn't seen him yet.

"Happy birthday!" He surprised me by giving me an unexpectedly tight hug. I could immediately tell that he too was enjoying all the free drinks. It made me wonder how long he, and in that case, Jimmy, had been here. "Great party."

"Thanks," I looked over at Libby, who gave me what appeared to be an apologetic smile, probably regarding Sheen. "You guys having fun?"

"Hell yeah!" Sheen immediately replied.

"It turned out great," Libby put in.

"Awesome! That's good!" I played off Sheen's energy, trying to avoid the fact that Jimmy was somewhere in this apartment and hoping neither of them would bring it up. "I'm going to go say hi to more people. I'll come back though, okay? Thank you for coming!" Just before I turned away I could see Libby was trying to say something but the music drowned her out.

Staggering to get back to the booze table, because I absolutely needed another drink, my journey was interrupted by a sight I almost couldn't believe.

With the amount of alcohol in my system, it's possible that I was just seeing things or just not the right things. That rising anxiety about one of my guests could have added to it as well. But what I saw was no mistake.

There, close enough for me to see but not close enough to hear, was my ex-boyfriend and our red-headed hostess Meg, chatting, dare I say, animatedly.

I couldn't make out what they were saying, but based on how close they were standing, with a small smile on each of their faces, and Jimmy doing that thing where he grabs the back of his neck when he's nervous, they were definitely talking about something private.

Tearing my gaze away from them, hoping that they didn't see me, I marched back to my destination.

My heart and head were throbbing, and I didn't know how to describe the emotion I was feeling. Finally reaching the drinks, I served myself a generous amount of the blue beverage and poured extra vodka for good measure.

As I started drinking, I decided to join in on the dancing, not caring how silly I might look. It only really took a minute for it to feel like I was doing this all night.

Between all the bodies and a rush of energy running through me, it got really hot, really quickly. I soon found myself pushing through the crowd and practically shoving hands off my body while making sure my drink didn't spill.

Feeling suffocated, I decided to go out to the terrace. Once I reached it, I was thankful at how empty it appeared. Taking deep breaths, I leaned against the balcony.

"Hey," a voice I would recognize anywhere spoke and startled me.

"My God, Jimmy! Don't scare me like that." I almost, _almost_ , forgot that he was here.

As he walked out of the shadows and got closer, I could see the small smile on his lips.

"Sorry," he apologized and I knew he meant it. "So what's the birthday girl doing out here?"

"I just-," I felt breathless and I knew there was more than one reason for it. "I needed some air." He nodded in return. A few seconds passed before I decided to break the silence. "Are you having fun?"

"Yeah, everything's great." I don't know why I related these two things but since he didn't have a drink in his hand and didn't appear like he drank anything, I wasn't sure if I believed him. "Your friends are really nice." _Yeah, I bet._ "It was great of them to do all this for you." Now it was my turn to nod even though all I wanted to do was ask him about talking to Meg. "Oh, hey I almost forgot." He reached into the inside of his jacket. "I got you something."

 _What?_

"Uhh," it was all I could get out as he handed me a bright pink card sized envelope "Thanks. You, uh, you didn't have to."

He shrugged, thinking it was no big deal.

"Aren't you going to open it?"

"Umm, I'll just put it with the others and open it later." I guess I didn't realize the impact of what that meant.

"Oh, okay," seeing the look on his face shifted something inside of me and it didn't help that he took a step closer. "Can I um, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?" I answered his question while asking another, taking a lot of effort to do so.

"I appreciate the gesture and all but, why did you invite me? I mean, it just seemed really… unexpected."

I knew this would be brought up at some point. I didn't think, especially hope, that it would be tonight under these circumstances, making it feel like the hardest question in the world.

My head started spinning and I now saw three Jimmys where there was only one. Despite how I felt, I still wanted to respond.

I wanted to say that I thought it would be weird or awkward if I didn't. Or maybe that I wanted to be nice but figured he wouldn't come anyway. Or maybe I should just tell him the truth and say how much I badly wanted to see him again.

Instead, all that came out was the day's food and drink, in a color I couldn't describe, in the form of vomit. All of it splattered on the terrace and Jimmy's shoes.

 **Happy New Year?**

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